1 . The seabird population on a small British island off the coast Devon and South Wales has increased quickly following the removal of rats.
There has been a growth in the numbers of Manx shearwater, puffins and guillemots on Lundy Island 15 years after a conservation project to remove its rats ended. The project was launched ‘in 2003 by the Landmark Trust, the National Trust and The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), and aimed to kill the rats because they were the biggest threat to the survival of the birds. A cull (选择性宰杀) costing 50,000 pounds was used to get rid of 40,000 rats on the island when puffin numbers fell to fewer than 10 pairs.
Helen Booker, senior conservation officer for RSPB in south-west England, said the organization is delighted with the results. “This study clearly shows how quickly and positively seabirds respond to the removal of non-native predators (捕猎者),” she said. “Of course, we had expected major population increases when the project was launched, but the scale of this recovery has far beyond our expectations.”
Dean Jones, the inspector on Lundy, which is managed by the Landmark Trust, said the recovery of the seabirds was a positive, but that it is important to remain cautious. “It is exciting to see this level of recovery in Manx shearwaters, one of our most important seabirds. In spring the island comes alive at night with the sound of these amazing birds. The increases in puffins, guillemots and razorbills are also very encouraging for the future of seabirds on Lundy and we are maintaining our attention to ensure rats cannot return to the island.”
A recent study found that nearly 10 percent of endangered bird, mammal, amphibian and reptile species could be saved by culling invasive (入侵的) mammals such as cats and rats on 169 islands. But rat removal programs have been controversial with some animal rights activists, who have argued that the black rat is one of the country’s most endangered mammals.
1. Why did British carry out the project to remove rats?| A．To kill invasive species. | B．To save seabirds in danger. |
| C．To keep balance in nature. | D．To decrease the rat’s number. |
| A．It is favored by animal rights groups. |
| B．It started when guillemot is nearly dying out. |
| C．It has protected 10% of species on UK’s 169 islands. |
| D．It contributes to more increases in seabirds than expected. |
| A．Plan the future of seabirds. | B．Speed up the recovery of seabirds. |
| C．Keep a careful watch for rats. | D．Continue to drive away rats and cats. |
| A．A news report. | B．A research paper. |
| C．A biology textbook. | D．A medical magazine. |
2 . Nature soothes(抚慰)our stressed-out souls. We know that nature is the best prescription, and new research suggests we can gain benefits while visiting parks.
"In general,we found park visitors reported an improvement in emotional well-being(幸福感)after the park visit.”the study's lead author and University of Alabama at Birmingham professor Hon K. Yuen said in a statement.“
For the study, 94 adults visited three city parks in Mountain Brook, Alabama, completing a questionnaire about their subjective well-being before and after their visit.
The study group was truly small. as the study's co-author and another UAB professor, Gavin Jenkins, acknowledges.
| A．Something was used to track their physical activity. |
| B．You usually visit a small green space in your neighborhood. |
| C．However, its findings pointed out the importance of city parks. |
| D．If you want to feel happier, you just need to exercise for 20 minutes in a park. |
| E．The best part is that you needn't visit a national park or go far out of your way. |
| F．This means people can benefit from visiting a nearby park, regardless of physical ability. |
| G．But we didn't find levels of physical activity are linked to improved emotional well-being. |
3 . You know those nutrition guidelines the government issues every few years? It turns out that following them isn't just good for your health. It's good for the planet, too.
“What we found is that impacts vary across nations, but in the highimpact nations, in general, you can see that, if you follow a nationally recommended diet, despite the fact that these diets don't mention explicitly—or most of them don't explicitly mention—environmental impacts, that you are going to have lower environmental impacts due to that. So that's sort of fairly clear across all the highincome nations.” said Paul Behrens, an environmental scientist at Leiden University in the Netherlands.
The food we eat takes a big toll on the environment. A third of the icefree land on Earth is used for agriculture, and according to some estimates, producing food accounts for roughly a fifth of all humancaused greenhouse gas emissions. Fertilizer runoff also leads to other problems, like the algae blooms in Lake Eerie and the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico.
However, following dietary guidelines would reduce those impacts, especially in wealthy countries like the US. “Most of the reductions come from meat and dairy，” which have an outsized impact on land use and pollution, and are a major source of greenhouse gases.(That's partly due to cow farts. Seriously.) Following the suggestions would also mean eating fewer calories, since many people here eat more than they need.
Overall, in highincome countries, Behren's team estimates that following the rules could result in as much as a 17 percent reduction in land use, a 21 percent reduction in nutrient pollution, and a 25 percent drop in agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. Cutting down on how much food we waste—which is roughly a third in the US—could help even more. The results are in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Of course, people are notoriously bad at following diets. But: “These nationally recommended guidelines do actually have a knockon effect on other areas of policy making. So if I'm developing a new healthyeatingforschools program then that's going to be based off a lot of detail that I get from the nationally recommended guidelines. So while it might not necessarily be the case that people follow directly … they actually are quite influential on the preparation of other advice.”
It seems that a smaller environmental footprint and a healthier lifestyle could go hand in hand.
1. Which of the following statement will Paul Behrens approve of?| A．Following a nationally recommended diet can have similar impacts in different countries. |
| B．Following a nationally recommended diet can do good to our health. |
| C．Not all the countries have recommended diets in an explicit manner. |
| D．Some highincome nations don't mention the diet explicitly for its impacts can be ignored. |
| A．shows signs of | B．has a bad effect on |
| C．takes full advantage of | D．makes up for |
| A．Food production can lead to about 20 percent of humancaused greenhouse gas with only a third of the icefree land used. |
| B．It is estimated that following dietary guidelines can lead to decrease in more land use than in nutrient pollution. |
| C．Paul Behrens' new program concerning healthy eating for schools is likely to be based on national nutrition guidelines. |
| D．Some wealthy countries tend to reduce meat and dairy though the other areas of policy making isn't effected much. |
4 . Bending our knees in the sand and protected by only a plastic glove, I put my hand into the cigarette ends, drink bottles and rotten fruit. I
My friends and I are
My group found several sickening and
After three hours of collecting rubbish, we
| A．explained | B．got | C．shouted | D．nodded |
| A．beautiful | B．muddy | C．plastic | D．white |
| A．students | B．customers | C．cleaners | D．member |
| A．early | B．late | C．soon | D．often |
| A．calling | B．gathering | C．meeting | D．pretending |
| A．turned up | B．came up | C．turned out | D．came out |
| A．equipped | B．filled | C．covered | D．pulled |
| A．scores | B．papers | C．tools | D．sheets |
| A．copy | B．record | C．hold | D．sort |
| A．search | B．memory | C．groups | D．forms |
| A．amazing | B．expensive | C．useful | D．noticeable |
| A．walking around | B．bending over | C．falling down | D．moving back |
| A．game | B．machine | C．sport | D．rule |
| A．leave | B．blow | C．win | D．speak |
| A．interesting | B．surprising | C．important | D．pleasant |
| A．again | B．still | C．even | D．suddenly |
| A．treated | B．helped | C．took | D．invited |
| A．clothes | B．hands | C．face | D．hair |
| A．bitter | B．fresh | C．tasty | D．rotten |
| A．agreed | B．decided | C．promised | D．understood |
5 . Not only does the use of plastic water bottles hurt your wallet, it also increases pollution and wastes energy and water. Only 23% of all plastic in America ends up in a recycling bin, meaning over $ 1 billion worth of plastic is treated as rubbish a year. Recently, Skipping Rocks Lab has invented a kind of water bottle called Ooho.
It is a convenient, clear water bottle that can either be drunken or eaten. To drink it, you can either peel off the membrane (薄膜) or tear a hole in the membrane with your teeth to pour the water into your mouth. To eat it, you simply put the whole bottle in your mouth. One problem the scientists have run into is how to ship large amounts of Ooho bubbles(水泡) without arriving with a very wet truck. However, they have attempted to package units of individual bubbles together inside a larger and thicker membrane. It is targeting large outdoor events, such as marathons, music festivals, and sporting events, where tons of plastic bottles are used, and frequently left behind as litter. And too much plastic is sure to do harm to the environment, which could account for their purpose of such a new invention.
The team has been working for the past two years to develop the technology and materials needed to produce Ooho; they have recently applied a patent for their new advancements. The price for an individual bubble or a unit of bubbles has not been set yet, but they cost about two cents to create a unit, which is cheaper than plastic bottles. It has appeared at events in London, San Francisco, Boston, at conferences, festivals, and so on.
Ooho is catching many people’s attention and has raised over $ 1 million and gained 1,000 investors in only three days. It is mostly being sold at events at the moment to keep the consumer’s interest while the production machine is getting up and running. It is quickly making a rise,so keep an eye out this year for these bottles of the future.
1. How is most plastic dealt with in America?| A．It’s sold. | B．It’s recycled. |
| C．It’s buried. | D．It’s wasted. |
| A．To make a profit for a company. | B．To protect the environtnent. |
| C．To make people eat as they drink. | D．To reduce the cost of plastic bottle. |
| A．It is easy and safe to ship it in large amounts. |
| B．It has become popular since it began to be sold. |
| C．It might be sold at a lower price than plastic bottles. |
| D．It cost the team a lot of money to develop the technology. |
| A．Ooho is to be a success in the future. |
| B．Ooho is being supported by smart people. |
| C．Ooho is taking the place of plastic bottles now. |
| D．Ooho is being produced to attract more investors. |
No one knows exactly how the earth began, as it
7 . It's a little hard to figure out the rules for sure, but the baby African buffalo(水牛) seems to have the upper hand. The two stand a couple feet apart, staring at each other. Behind them, their mothers look on with the kind of indifference(不关心) of mothers everywhere who see their kids playing a harmless game.
The alarm went off about half an hour ago, the second time tonight. Here, one bell means “elephant”, two, “rhino” (犀牛), and three and four, I really can't remember for what, because when you're awoken by bells in the middle of the night, your first thought won't be “Animal! ”. But as soon as I realized it was the rhino alarm, I was running for the stairs.
Yet I'm the only one watching the animals stare-down. Either everyone else died of a heart attack when the bells went off, or l was the only one in the entire hotel who didn't turn the alarm switch to off before going to bed.
The Ark, a hotel shaped like the biblical ark(圣经的方舟) , lies in the highlands of Kenya's Aberdare National Park, about 100 kilometers north of Nairobi. At the Ark's prow(船首) are huge windows overlooking a waterhole. Earlier tonight, I'd watched a pack of wolves, buffalos and elephants. And now, at three or so in the morning, I'm down for rhino bells. The first time, 2. 5 hours ago, it was a single black rhino, which came down, got a drink, and left.
I'd have been sorry for the lost sleep. I've already arranged with a guide to take me out at sunrise for the so-called “should_never_miss” bird-watching, where we'll get to see 30 species, but really, how many times in your life will you get to wake up and say, “Wow! Rhino!”? Isn't that the definition of a pretty good night? Last week we went from Uganda into Kenya. Before I left home, 1 thought I'd be happy with ten elephants and five or six giraffes on the whole trip. I didn't dare to dream the rhino.
1. The message that the hotel's bells sent was ___________.| A．a very wise way the author had never heard of |
| B．hard for the author to remember in detail |
| C．a matter that all visitors had got used to |
| D．like conditioned response training for animals |
| A．It's bothering but two bells are welcome. |
| B．It should be turned off whenever it rings. |
| C．It lets visitors have a chance to see buffalos. |
| D．It is a very bad way to wake the guests up. |
| A．The author hates all the animals. |
| B．There are lots of wild animals near the Ark. |
| C．The author slept well during the whole trip. |
| D．The author has no interest in thinos. |
| A．Two buffalos were fighting fiercely for food. |
| B．A rhino and a buffalo were fighting for water. |
| C．A rhino and a buffalo were staring at each other. |
| D．A buffalo was teaching its baby to walk freely. |
8 . Over the past century, an alarming number of animals have become endangered or even extinct. Below are some animals whose numbers have been rapidly dropping in recent years.
Panda Bear
One of the biggest reasons contributing to the decline in the panda species is the destruction of its natural habitat. Farmers in China have gradually been claiming more and more of the land. As a result, pandas are forced to move away to places where it is hard to find bamboo for food.
Green Turtle
The green sea turtle species has survived for several millions of years, so you might wonder why it’s only becoming endangered now. A major cause is the change in climate and temperature, which both affect the hatching rates of turtle eggs. Climate changes also cause violent weather and rising water levels to flood areas where turtles usually go to lay their eggs. Apart from this, oil spills and other poisonous pollution, as well as increased fishing activities can cause sickness, or even death to the green turtles.
Cheetah
Cheetahs are famous for being the fastest animal on land but even they can’t run from some of the larger threats that have harmed them. Like the panda bears, cheetahs have gradually been losing their natural homes due to humans claiming land and developing in those areas. To make matters even worse, smaller animals move away when these areas are occupied, which means that the cheetah has less food! Don’t forget that other large animals, such as lions, are also fighting for any food that they can find, so occasionally young cheetahs end up as prey too.
Indian Elephant
Elephants are extremely intelligent animals and also the largest mammals that live on land. Sadly, in Asia many elephants were killed so that people could remove their tusks to use as decorative objects. While this practice has been banned now, some people still illegally continue. Forests in India have also been steadily destroyed and elephants are sometimes killed when they end up on human territory.
1. Humans’ increasing demand for land doesn’t affect the number of ________.| A．Indian elephants | B．cheetahs |
| C．panda bears | D．green turtles |
| A．planting more bamboos |
| B．helping them find mates |
| C．stopping hunting them |
| D．preventing poisonous pollution |
| A．forests have been destroyed |
| B．they are threatened by humans and larger animals |
| C．people are fond of hunting wild animals |
| D．no law bans people from removing their tusks |
9 . The full moon climbs over the eastern horizon (地平线) and hangs like a huge orange globe in the sky. A few hours later, the moon is overhead but seems to have changed. The huge orange globe has become a small silver disk. What has happened? Why has the orange color disappeared? Why does the moon seem so much smaller and farther away now that it is overhead?
The moon appears orange on the horizon because we view it through the dust of the atmosphere. The overhead moon does not really shrink as it moves away from the horizon. Our eyes inform us that the overhead moon is farther away. But in this position the moon is actually closer to our eyes than when it is near the horizon.
The change in size is a trick our eyes and minds play on us. When the moon is low in the sky, we can compare its size with familiar objects. It is easy to see that the moon is much larger than trees or buildings, for example. When the moon is high in the sky, however, it is hard to compare it with objects on earth. Compared to the vastness of the sky, the moon seems small.
There is another reason why the moon seems to shrink. We are used to staring at objects straight ahead of us. When an object is difficult to see, our eyes have to try to focus on it. When we move our heads back to look up, we will try hard again. Looking at something from an unaccustomed position can fool you into believing an object is smaller or farther away than it is. However, scientists do not yet understand completely why the moon seems to shrink as it rises in the sky.
1. What makes us puzzled when the moon is high in the sky?| A．It looks different. | B．It becomes large. |
| C．Its color disappears. | D．Its shape changes. |
| A．It turns orange. | B．It comes nearer. |
| C．It goes farther. | D．It gets through dust. |
| A．They are low on earth. | B．They are large objects. |
| C．They can affect our judgment. | D．They can attract our attention. |
| A．The size of the moon often changes. |
| B．We do not see the moon as it really is. |
| C．The moon is beginning to shrink much. |
| D．The moon is in fact a huge orange globe. |
10 . With the warmth of the sun on your skin and the sounds of the birds in the trees, stepping outside can help anyone feel instantly better. People who have been suffering from stress and sickness can spend quiet time in gardens. You may be surprised to learn that one of the best steps you can take to protect your health is to step outside and spend some time in the grass, dirt and water.
Our ancestors enjoyed the healing power of nature, and now scientists are starting to catch up, according to research in recent years, just having a view of nature has been shown to improve hospital patients’ recovery and reduce illness rates among office workers. Also, exposure to wildlife, horseback riding, hiking, camping and farms can be helpful for a variety of health conditions in adults and children.
Much of this type of research is focusing on children, and in fact an entire movement has quickly developed to connect kids with the healing power of nature.
Obesity (肥胖). Rates of childhood obesity have grown sharply in recent years, and this is partly because of reduced outdoor activity time. Increasing the time students spend learning about nature, both in and outside the classroom, would help solve this problem. Such lessons are often more attractive for students and often lead them to become more active outside.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (多动症). Exposure to ordinary natural settings in the course of common after-school and weekend activities may be effective in reducing attention deficit symptoms in children. According to a study, participation in green activities, such as nature walks, helped ADHD patients from a wide range of backgrounds to stay focused and complete tasks.
Stress. Access to nature, even house plants, can help children cope with stress.
Depression and seasonal emotional disorder. Major depression requires medical treatment, but physical activity, especially outdoors, can help ease symptoms. For your average case of winter blues, experts suggest spending time outside every day and, if possible, taking the family to a sunny vacation spot in mid-winter.
Experts emphasize that you needn’t go to wilderness preserves to enjoy nature’s benefit! Simply walking in a city park or growing in a rooftop garden can go a long way.
1. What can be inferred from the first paragraph?| A．Enjoying the sounds of birds makes people feel instantly better. |
| B．Modern people pay little attention to the benefit of stepping outside to their health. |
| C．Stepping outside is one of the best steps you can take to protect your health. |
| D．People suffering from stress and sickness can spend quiet time in gardens. |
| A．should involve parents in them | B．should take place outdoors |
| C．are used widely at schools | D．are liked by students |
| A．walk a long way | B．go far away |
| C．make a difference | D．increase stress |
| A．Healing Power of Nature | B．Access to the Nature |
| C．Problems with Children | D．Solutions to Obesity |
