1 . Since 1960, considerable scientific researches have been done on chimps in their natural habitats. Astonishingly, scientists have found out that the social
In the laboratory, chimps don’t
Human children,
There are several reasons to believe that the urges to help, inform and share are not taught, but naturally
The core (核心) of what children’s minds have and chimps’ don’t is what Tomasello calls shared intentionality. Part of this ability is that they can
A.structures | B.responsibilities | C.policies | D.behaviors |
A.conflict | B.offend | C.cooperate | D.discuss |
A.help | B.contact | C.divide | D.trust |
A.manage | B.decline | C.attempt | D.force |
A.curiously | B.unwillingly | C.naturally | D.carelessly |
A.in turn | B.with care | C.at random | D.in advance |
A.all in all | B.as a result | C.in no case | D.on the other hand |
A.cooperativeness | B.availability | C.attack | D.attractiveness |
A.educated | B.possessed | C.motivated | D.stimulated |
A.old | B.young | C.middle | D.late |
A.creatively | B.formally | C.competitively | D.socially |
A.develops | B.decreases | C.changes | D.disappears |
A.invisible | B.abstract | C.physical | D.imaginary |
A.infer | B.adapt | C.absorb | D.balance |
A.realistic | B.shared | C.specific | D.ambitious |
2 . As plastic waste increases rapidly around the world, an essential question remains unanswered: What harm, if any, does it cause to human health?
A few years ago, as microplastics began turning up in the organs of fish and shellfish, the concern was focused on the safety of seafood. Shellfish were a particular worry, because in their case, unlike fish, we eat the entire animal — stomach, microplastics and all. In 2017, Belgian scientists announced that seafood lovers could consume up to 11,000 plastic particles (粒子) a year by eating mussels (贻贝), a favorite dish in that country.
By then, however, scientists already understood that plastics continuously fragment small pieces in the environment, tearing over time into fibers even smaller than a strand of human hair — particles are so small that they easily fly in the air. A team at the U.K.’s University of Plymouth decided to compare the threat from eating polluted wild mussels in Scotland to that of breathing air in a typical home. Their conclusion: People will take in more plastic by breathing in or taking tiny, invisible plastic fibers floating in the air around them—fibers from their own clothes, carpets, and soft covering on furniture — than they will by eating the mussels.
So, it wasn’t much of a surprise when, in 2022, scientists from the Netherlands and the U.K, announced they had found tiny plastic particles in living humans, in two places where they hadn’t been seen before: deep inside the lungs of surgical patients, and in the blood of unknown donors. Neither of the two studies answered the question of possible harm. But together they signaled a shift in the focus of concern about plastics toward the cloud of dust particles in the air, some of them are so small that they can get into deep inside the body and even inside cells, in ways that larger microplastics can’t.
Dick Vethaak, a professor of ecotoxicology (生态毒理学), doesn’t consider the results alarming, exactly—“but, yes, we should be concerned. Plastics should not be in your blood.” “We live in a multi-particle world,” he adds, referring to the dust, pollen (花粉), and smog that humans also breathe in every day. “The trick is to figure out how much plastics contribute to that particle burden and what does that mean.”
1. What does the word “fragment” in para. 3 probably mean?A.break into | B.take in | C.pick out | D.make up |
A.microplastics from things in our daily life ant more poisonous |
B.people eating polluted mussels are more likely to get diseases |
C.invisible plastic fibers are more harmful to the environment |
D.the influence of microplastics in mussels is less than thought |
A.microplastics in polluted wild mussels can cause serious diseases |
B.there’s no need to worry about the plastics found in human blood |
C.we can avoid breathing particles by figuring out particle burden |
D.more attention should be paid to the dust particles than plastics |
A.Are Microplastics Harmful to Us? |
B.Should Microplastics be in Our Blood? |
C.Can Microplastics Get into Our Bodies? |
D.Do We Know Anything about Microplastics? |
3 . The Upside to Being Outside
Research shows that being in nature makes people feel good, whether they’re roughing it in the wilderness for days or just hanging out at a local park for a while. One study was conducted in the city of Birmingham, Alabama. Researchers found that most participants’ mood and well-being improved significantly when they spent time in urban parks, even though the average visit was only around half an hour.
How does nature boost people’s happiness? Scientists say that spending time in natural settings reduces stress and anxiety, which benefits mental and physical health. Research shows our brains are more relaxed in natural settings.
To most people, it’s not news that nature can be calming. But multiple studies have found that spending time in nature also has some more surprising benefits, like improving creativity and problem-solving.
What accounts for the connection with cognition and creativity? It could be that a good dose of nature acts as a cure to information overload. Everyday life involves a lot of multitasking. Some scientists theorize that spending time in nature enables our brains to rest and recover from mental tiredness.
Naturally, scientific studies don’t cover everything that’s great about the great outdoors.
A.One study revealed that people were better at figuring out puzzles after a four-day camping trip. |
B.According to many scientific studies, there’s a good chance it’ll make you happier, healthier, and more creative. |
C.What’s more, the lift people get from nature is long lasting. |
D.Lots of people enjoy fun activities outside, like swimming, riding bikes, or climbing trees. |
E.When the only light you’ve seen all day is the glow of a screen, it might be a good idea to switch it off. |
F.This means that whether you’re studying or playing video games, heading outside to give your brain a break might help you get to the next level. |
G.So, kicking back in a park is a bit like treating your mind to a restful mini vacation. |
4 . As cities balloon with growth, access to nature for people living in urban areas is becoming harder to find. If you’re lucky, there might be a pocket park near where you live, but it’s unusual to find places in a city that are relatively wild.
Past research has found health and wellness benefits of nature for humans, but a new study shows that wildness in urban areas is extremely important for human well-being.
The research team focused on a large urban park. They surveyed several hundred park-goers, asking them to submit a written summary online of a meaningful interaction they had with nature in the park. The researchers then examined these submissions, coding (编码) experiences into different categories. For example, one participant’s experience of “We sat and listened to the waves at the beach for a while” was assigned the categories “sitting at beach” and “listening to waves.”
Across the 320 submissions, a pattern of categories the researchers call a “nature language” began to emerge. After the coding of all submissions, half a dozen categories were noted most often as important to visitors. These include encountering wildlife, walking along the edge of water, and following an established trail.
Naming each nature experience creates a usable language, which helps people recognize and take part in the activities that are most satisfying and meaningful to them. For example, the experience of walking along the edge of water might be satisfying for a young professional on a weekend hike in the park. Back downtown during a workday, they can enjoy a more domestic form of this interaction by walking along a fountain on their lunch break.
“We’re trying to generate a language that helps bring the human-nature interactions back into our daily lives. And for that to happen, we also need to protect nature so that we can interact with it,” said Peter Kahn, a senior author of the study.
1. What phenomenon does the author describe at the beginning of the text?A.Pocket parks are now popular. | B.Wild nature is hard to find in cities. |
C.Many cities are overpopulated. | D.People enjoy living close to nature. |
A.To compare different types of park-goers. | B.To explain why the park attracts tourists. |
C.To analyze the main features of the park. | D.To find patterns in the visitors’ summaries. |
A.Walking is the best way to gain access to nature. |
B.Young people are too busy to interact with nature. |
C.The same nature experience takes different forms. |
D.The nature language enhances work performance. |
A.Language study. | B.Environmental conservation. |
C.Public education. | D.Intercultural communication. |
5 . In the early 1990s, Eric Domb, a highly successful lawyer, came up with the idea of building a bird park. His father-in-law
After the park opened in 1994, his inexperience led to many
Since his childhood he has been fascinated by Chinese
Domb felt
Now, Domb is eager to tell how he
A.rejected | B.supported | C.doubted | D.raised |
A.project | B.rule | C.law | D.document |
A.steal | B.win | C.earn | D.borrow |
A.rewards | B.wonders | C.mistakes | D.regrets |
A.missing | B.spreading | C.shaking | D.growing |
A.extreme | B.unusual | C.irregular | D.essential |
A.culture | B.food | C.poetry | D.dream |
A.containing | B.changing | C.adding | D.removing |
A.embarrassed | B.surprised | C.confused | D.inspired |
A.willingly | B.enthusiastically | C.automatically | D.confidently |
A.take charge of | B.pay attention to | C.get hold of | D.gain knowledge of |
A.grass | B.tea | C.coffee | D.bamboo |
A.bought | B.protected | C.received | D.tracked |
A.pride | B.humor | C.security | D.duty |
A.hide | B.house | C.train | D.save |
French disaster epic Notre-Dame on Fire hits Chinese big screen
This April marks the
NotreDame on Fire, now in Chinese cinemas, is a disaster epic
Presenting a blow-by-blow recreation of the gripping events that
“It was a
“When I saw this movie in Paris last year, it took me a few hours
The French minister announced that 2024 will be the France-China Year of Culture and Tourism and she invited Chinese tourists to travel to France for the occasion, especially to see the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris,
1.活动目的;
2.你的建议;
3.发出倡议。
注意:1.词数80词左右;
2.可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
Boys and girls,
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The Student Union
8 . The humble honey bee is responsible for up to 80 per cent of plant pollination (授粉) worldwide. But population numbers are in steep decline because of habitat loss, pesticides and pollution — threatening our food security. One startup has identified a potential solution — the common hoverfly (食蚜蝇).
UK-based designer Tashia Tucker has created an AI-based technology called Olombria, which encourages hoverflies to increase their pollination levels to match that of bees. Although flies perform approximately 30 percent of the world’s pollination, they aren’t as efficient as bees, often getting distracted and “wandering off” before they can carry pollen between plants.
Olombria is a solution — an AI pollination system that encourages hoverflies to pollinate targeted sites when the plants are in bloom (鲜花盛开). The system consists of sensors, cameras and chemical signaling devices placed within specified areas of an orchard or field. It starts by collecting data on the level and diversity of pollinators in a grower’s field as well as pollination effectiveness.
This information, combined with other environmental data — time, the location and temperature, allows the system to paint an overall picture of pollinator health and then take action. “We first provide that baseline data,” Tucker explains, “so we have an understanding of where there are deficiencies (缺乏) and areas that need to be improved, and then we distribute our natural chemical signaling from the device.”
Depending on what areas of an orchard need pollinating, Olombria’s AIcloud system triggers chosen devices to release organic chemicals that encourage hoverflies to move towards those specific areas. “The chemicals do not change what the flies would naturally do, but target their location and increase the amount of pollen that they’re picking up and transferring,” Tucker explains.
The hoverflies work in cooperation with the bees and, through Tucker’s research, she’s found that the hoverflies even encourage bees to become more efficient pollinators. “There’s a bit of competition; it focuses the bees’ pollination as there’s another insect in the area,” says Tucker.
As a designer, Tucker initially designed Olombria’s device to look like a fruit to reflect the ethos (气质) of the design. “When I started working with farmers, I knew I needed to design the technology to be strong enough to stay out in the field and in various weather conditions,” says Tucker. Since then, Tucker has changed the design and is exploring what colors work well with insects. “As we start to streamline the technology, it is becoming more refined,” Tucker explains. “As an AI system, it’s great, as it’s just getting smarter as the technology develops.”
1. Why are hoverflies not so efficient at plant pollination?A.Most of them don’t know how to pollinate plants. |
B.They can hardly focus on their pollinating work. |
C.They have great difficulty carrying pollen. |
D.The population of them is declining. |
A.Take pictures of plants in a field. | B.Examine overall plant health there. |
C.Choose chemical signaling devices. | D.Get basic facts about pollinators there. |
A.To attract hoverflies to a certain area. | B.To change pollinators’ behavior. |
C.To make pollen attractive to hoverflies. | D.To locate the position of pollinators. |
A.To deal with pollination crisis quickly. | B.To make it attractive in appearance. |
C.To meet the demands of AI systems. | D.To make it as practical as possible. |
9 . Lithium (锂) is called “white gold” for good reason. The metal’s value has been growing sharply over the last several years, in a large part because it is an essential part of batteries as well as several key sustainable technologies where energy storage is of huge significance. As electric cars, wind and solar power have grown into major players in the energy industry, lithium has become key to engineering a future free of fossil (化石) fuels.
But acquiring lithium comes at an enormous cost. It often works like this: Water containing lithium is delivered to the surface from underground and mixed with fresh water. The mixture then sits in pools to get rid of water, leaving the rest of its contents behind as brightly colored “mud”. Then heat and chemical reactions are used to get lithium from that, changing it into powder which is then packaged and shipped to buyers around the world.
Any accident that releases mine contents into surrounding communities or the groundwater supply could have unimaginable long-term impacts. To be specific, indigenous (土著的) communities often bear the damage, and political leaders have typically given little weight to their concerns. In Arizona, for example, an expanding lithium mine is threatening the Hualapai Tribe’s cultural and historic sites. Recently, mining lithium and other precious metals has brought about conflict: How do you ensure the availability of materials essential to the future of renewables while protecting those communities’ rights?
Mining of the metal is expected to increase dramatically in coming years. Over time, experts say, that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions (排放) by making electric cars more affordable and, therefore, more popular. As environmentally conscious consumers buy electric cars in ever-greater numbers, it’s important to be aware of the dirty process that powers those clean air vehicles.
1. What does the author’s intention of writing Paragraph 1?A.To introduce the background of an event. | B.To explain a complex industrial theory. |
C.To describe a noticeable recent tendency. | D.To predict the future of a main technology. |
A.Unexpected material leak. | B.Violent chemical reactions. |
C.Wrong political decisions. | D.Lithium mine expansion. |
A.Intolerant. | B.Uncaring. | C.Favorable. | D.Objective. |
A.High Expense of Lithium Mining | B.Potential Benefit of Using Lithium |
C.Hidden Threat behind Clean Energy | D.Bright Future of Renewable Resources |
It was a sunny summer morning, the breeze blowing gently. As planned, Jackson took a trip into the remote wilds near Olom Village, in the Sakha Republic, Russia. His four-year-old daughter, Karina, found him leaving and wanted to follow him to give her dad a surprise. She slipped out of the house, with nobody realizing it, even Jackson.
Unfortunately, she walked too slowly on her way and soon she was lost in the vast, dangerous Siberian wilderness. Luckily for her, her dog, Naida, followed Karina just as the girl followed her father. The two suddenly found themselves walking with no one in sight, drifting away from their home as the hours went by.
Night fell. Karina’s father returned home, and it didn’t take long after that for the whole family to realize what had happened. They couldn’t find Karina anywhere. They turned to the police for help immediately. And they took action at once in search of the lost girl.
A whole week had gone by and there was no progress of the rescue in sight. The whole family was stuck in desperation, but Karina’s mum never lost hope. “Many stopped believing that she was alive, but as a mother I felt that she would be found soon.”
In fact, Karina did survive. Although Siberia is an extremely dangerous place even for otherwise fit adults due to its wildlife and climate, she made it. She survived by eating wild fruits and drinking water from nearby rivers, and she faced the freezing nighttime temperatures by cozying up in a bed of grass. Naida did its best too, scaring away the wild animals and keeping each other warm by sleeping close together at night.
After nine days struggling to survive, scared and alone, Karina could only be grateful about one thing: her good friend was by her side. Naida gave its strength, and actively helped the four-year-old to stay alive for that long.
This morning, Naida suddenly walked away and headed back into town, ignoring Karina’s hopeless cry and leaving her completely alone.
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Naida did what it could to lead the rescue team to where Karina was.
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