1 . If you are a dog owner looking to add a new cat to your home, it's important that you strategize how you will introduce the two species to each other in your household. The
The good news is that there is an effective way to make sure both of them
Your dog will know there's a
After a few days, let your dog stay in the room with the cat. When doing so, leave the door open, and make sure that it is after your dog has exercised as he will be
Always make sure the cat has a way to run away from the dog. Having a(n)
A.last | B.relevant | C.remarkable | D.specific |
A.give up | B.take part | C.turn out | D.get along |
A.trends | B.examples | C.tips | D.interests |
A.fascinated | B.involved | C.scared | D.separated |
A.clean | B.leave | C.paint | D.ruin |
A.new | B.nice | C.strong | D.terrible |
A.food | B.toy | C.cat | D.owner |
A.popular | B.familiar | C.satisfied | D.bored |
A.braver | B.happier | C.calmer | D.stronger |
A.eating | B.jumping | C.training | D.exercising |
A.reward | B.tool | C.model | D.responsibility |
A.large | B.attractive | C.limited | D.safe |
A.excited | B.comfortable | C.embarrassed | D.angry |
2 . How many things can you see in the night sky? A lot! On a clear night you can see the moon, some planets, and thousands of sparking stars.
You can see even more with a telescope. You might see that many stars look larger than others. You might see that some stars that look white are really red or blue. With bigger and bigger telescopes you can see more and more objects in the sky. And you can see those objects in more and more detail.But scientists believe there are some things in the sky that we will never see. We won’t see them with the biggest telescope in the world, on the clearest night of the year. That’s because they’re invisible. They’re the mysterious dead stars called black holes.
You might find it hard to imagine that stars die. After all, our sun is a star. Year after year we see it up in the sky, burning brightly and giving us heat and light. The Sun certainly doesn’t seem to be getting old or weak. But stars do burn out and die after billions of years.
As a star’s gases burn, they give off light and heat. But when the gases run out, the star stops burning and begins to die.
As the star cools, the outer layers of the star pull in toward the center.The star squashes into a smaller and smaller ball.If the star was very small, the star ends up as a cold, dark ball called a black dwarf.If the star was very big, it keeps squashing inward until it’s packed together tighter than anything in the universe.
Imagine if the Earth were crushed until it was the size of a tiny marble.That’s how tightly this dead star, a black hole, is packed.What pulls the star in toward its center with such power? It’s the same force that pulls you down when you jump-the force called gravity.A black hole is so tightly packed that its gravity sucks in everything — even light.The light from a black hole can never come back to your eyes.That’s why you see nothing but blackness.
So next time you stare up at the night sky, remember: there’s more in the sky than we can see! Scattered in the silent darkness are black holes-the great mystery of space.
1. According to the article, how will a star begin to die?
A.As it gets hotter and hotter, it explodes. |
B.It collides with other stars. |
C.It can only live for about a million years. |
D.As its gases run out, it cools down. |
A.It is packed most tightly. | B.It is dark. |
C.It is smaller in size than a common star. | D.It is cold. |
A.Because most black holes are so far away. |
B.As the star’s gases burn, it stops giving off heat and light. |
C.As a star cools, its outer layers pull in towards its center. |
D.The gravity of a black hole is so strong that it sucks the light inward. |
A.Picking tomatoes. |
B.Cooking a meal. |
C.Planting vegetables. |
D.Selling cucumbers. |
4 . Some plants get so hungry that they eat flies, spiders, and even small frogs. What’s more amazing is that these plants occur naturally (in special environment) in every state. In fact, they’re found on every continent except Antarctica.
You’ve probably seen a Venus’ flytrap. It’s often sold in museum gift stores, department stores, and even supermarkets. A small plant, it grows 6 to 8 inches tall in a container. At the end of its stalks(茎) are specially modified leaves that act like traps. Inside each trap is a lining of tiny trigger(触发) hairs. When an insect lands on them, the trap suddenly shut. Over the course of a week or so, the plant feeds on its catch.
The Venus’ flytrap is just one of more than 500 species of meat-eating plants, says Barry Meyers-Rice, the editor of the International Carnivorous(食肉的) Plant Society’s Newsletter. Note: Despite any science-fiction stories you might have read, no meat-eating plant does any danger to humans.
Dr. Meyers-Rice says a plant is meat-eating, only if it does all four of the following: “attract, kill, digest, and absorb” some forms of insects, including flies, butterflies, and moths. Meat-eating plants look and act like other green plants ---well, most of the time.
All green plants make sugar through a process called photosynthesis(光合作用). Plants use the sugar to make food. What makes “meat-eating” plants different is their bug-catching leaves. They need insects for one reason: nitrogen(氮). Nitrogen is a nutrient that they can’t obtain any other way. Why almost all green plants on our planet get nitrogen from the soil, “meat-eating” plants can’t. They live in places where nutrients are hard or almost impossible to get from the soil because of its acidity. So they’ve come to rely on getting nitrogen from insects and small animals. In fact, nutrient-rich soil is poisonous to “meat-eating” plants. Never fertilize them! But don’t worry, either, if they never seem to catch any insects. They can survive, but they’ll grow very slowly.
1. According to the passage, carnivorous plants ________.A.only grow in wild field | B.are rare to see |
C.are as common as flies | D.cannot grow on Antarctica |
A.carnivorous plants are dangerous |
B.carnivorous plants are fictional |
C.carnivorous plants occasionally eat books |
D.carnivorous plants are harmless to humans |
A.Carnivorous plants cannot grow in acid soil. |
B.Carnivorous plants can grow in nutrient-poor soil. |
C.Carnivorous plants will die if they cannot catch any insects. |
D.Carnivorous plants can get nitrogen from nutrient-rich soil. |
5 . Elephants have four distinct personalities that help their herd survive in the African bush, scientists have found.
With their grey skin, mournful eyes and slow heavy pace, you could be forgiven for thinking elephants are uniformly blue creatures. But scientists have now discovered the largest living land animals have personalities to match their size. In a new study of African elephants, researchers have identified four distinct characters that are common in a herd -- the leaders, the gentle giants, the playful rogues and the reliable plodders.
Each of the types has developed to help the giant mammals survive in their harsh environment and is almost unique in the animal kingdom, according to the scientists. Professor Phyllis Lee and her colleague Cynthia Moss studied a herd of elephants in the Amboseli National Park in Kenya known as the EB family - famous for their matriarch Echo before she died in 2009. Using data collected over 38 years of watching this group, the researchers analyzed them for 26 types of behaviors and found four personality features tended to emerge.
The strongest personality to emerge was that of the leader. Unlike other animals, where leadership tends to be won by most dominant and aggressive individual, the elephants instead respected intelligence and problem solving in their leader. Echo, the matriarch and oldest in the group, her daughter Enid, and Ella, the second oldest female, all emerged as leaders.
The playful elephants tended to be younger but were more curious and active. Eudora, a 40-year-old female in the herd, seemed to be the most playful, consistently showing this trait through out her life while playfulness in some of the other elephants declined with age.
Gentle elephants, which included two 27-year-old females Eleanor and Eliot, caressed and rubbed against others more than the others.
Those that were reliable tended to be those that were most consistent at making good decisions, helped to care for infants in the herd and were calm when faced with threats. Echo and her youngest daughter Ebony seemed to be the most reliable. Professor Less said that elephants with these features tended to be the most socially integrated in the group while those who tended to be pushy and less reliable were more likely to split from the herd.
1. The reason why elephants have four distinct personalities is that ________.A.scientists can distinguish them from each other more easily. |
B.the four personalities can help them survived in Africa. |
C.the elephants will be unique in the animals kingdom. |
D.the elephants can avoid being caught by human beings. |
A.the researchers reached their conclusion by analyzing the data. |
B.the research centered on the 26 types of behavior of the matriarch. |
C.the scientists conducted the research by comparing elephants with other animals. |
D.Professor Phyllis Lee and her colleague spent nearly 38 years tracking the herd. |
A.mother and daughter | B.the two oldest female |
C.the most gentle ones | D.leader and member |
A.Not all the types can help the elephants survive in their environment. |
B.Leadership tends to be won by the most dominant and aggressive elephant. |
C.The playful elephants not only tended to by younger but also were more curious. |
D.The reliable elephants are likely to rely on others to decide what to do. |
Lego recently announced that they will start producing pieces from sustainable sugar cane. The toys, which will be indistinguishable from classic Legos, will also feature botanical elements like leaves, bushes, and trees.
“We want to make a positive impact on the world around us, and are working hard to make great play products for children using sustainable materials,” said Tim Brooks, vice president, environmental responsibility at the Lego Group, in a statement. “This is a great first step inour ambitious commitment of making all Lego bricks using sustainable materials”.
The move is part of Lego’s campaign to use sustainable materials in its core products and packaging by 2030, a move in which they have already invested $165 million. According to a research report, 4% of the world’s petroleum is used as a raw material to make plastic, and another 4% is used in the plastic-making process.
The LEGO Group’s decision to pursue sustainably sourced bio-based plastic represents an incredible opportunity to reduce dependence on limited resources, and their work with the Bioplastic Feedstock Alliance will allow them to connect with other companies to continue to think creatively about sustainability.
A.With the latest learning toys, construction toys and more, your little ones can enjoy endless hours of imaginative play. |
B.LEGO products have always been about providing high quality experiences giving every child the chance to shape their own world through creative play. |
C.Lego’s current bricks are made from oil-based plastics. |
D.Since plastic is so common and so non-eco-friendly, finding ways to replace it is extremely important. |
E.The new line of production has reportedly already started with pieces being produced from polyethylene(聚乙烯). |
F.The overall design of the space is a modern and mature interpretation of a youthful brand. |
A.They support human lives. |
B.They cure human discases. |
C.They estimate species. |
D.They stop plant extinction. |
A.Polluting the environment. |
B.Destroying wildlife habitat. |
C.Organizing activities. |
D.Introducing new species. |
A.To analyze the main causes of the disappearing of some wild animals. |
B.To appeal to people to protect wildlife. |
C.To emphasize the importance of the earth. |
D.To describe different ways to stop pollution. |
A. allowing B. detectable C. hazard D. irresponsible E. linked F. optimism G. punishing H. routes I. sowed J. unavoidable K. widespread |
Time for a clean-up
You are probably aware of the term “forever chemicals”, if not entirely clear on the specifics. What they are is a class of around 16, 000 artificial compounds called PFAS that break down very slowly, if at all in the environment and our bodies. They are extremely useful, but also a potential
A growing body of research has
How did we let it come to this? To some extent, society is reaping what it
9 . LONDON (Reuters) — Quiet place — Britain’s Queen Elizabeth is preparing to have her swans counted.
Buckingham Palace has announced that the annual Swan Upping, a tradition dating back to the 12th century which involves a census (审查) of the swan population on the River Thames, will be conducted by the Queen’s official Swan Marker from July 20 to 24.
“With the assistance of the Queen’s Swan Warden, Professor Christopher Perrins of the University of Oxford, the swans and young cygnets (小天鹅) are also assessed for any signs of injury or disease,” Buckingham Palace said in announcing the count.
The process involves the Swan Marker, David Barber, rowing up the Thames for five days with the Swan Warden in traditional skiffs while wearing special scarlet uniforms and counting, weighing and measuring swans and cygnets.
It may seem odd, but it is very important to the Queen. According to custom, Britain’s sovereign owns all unmarked, mute swans in open water, but the Queen now exercises the right only on stretches of the Thames and its nearby tributaries.
In medieval times, the Swan Marker would not only travel up the river counting the swans, but would catch as many as possible as they were sought after for banquets and feasts.
This year, the Swan Marker and the Swan Warden are particularly keen to discover how much damage is being caused to swans and cygnets by attacks from dogs and from discarded fishing tackle (渔具).
It is also an important year because Queen Elizabeth has decided to join her team of Swan Uppers for part of the census. She will follow them up the river and visit a local school project on the whole subject of swans, cygnets and the Thames.
“Education and conservation are essential to the role of Swan Upping and the involvement of school children is always a rewarding experience,” Buckingham Palace said.
1. In medieval times, ________.A.swans were better protected than now |
B.a lot of swans were killed by dogs |
C.swans were a delicious dish on royal banquets |
D.common people could catch the swans |
A.remains almost unchanged in the past years |
B.involves a lot of royal members |
C.sometimes lasts longer than before |
D.is always guarded by special soldiers |
A.Britain’s Queen is concerned about swans. |
B.Britain’s Queen orders a count of swan. |
C.An old tradition in Buckingham Palace. |
D.Queen Elizabeth will count swans herself. |
A.districts | B.banks | C.trees | D.branches |
Light the Cities of the Future
A previously unlit cycle path in the Netherlands has recently drawn our attention. It has been resurfaced with a material that consists of thousands of shining stones in order to create a well-lit route. The Van Gogh Path, so called after the artist who lived in the town of Nuenen in 1883, combines the traditional with the contemporary in a gesture that acknowledge ledges Van Gingh’ masterpiece The Starry Night, but also shows the way ahead for city lighting. The Van Gogh Path is not a single case; it is not difficult to foresee a time when natural materials could help light the cities of the future.
Why should we care about city lighting? What’s wrong with current electrical city lighting anyway? Well, the problem that it causes is two-fold. First, of course, electrical lighting in most cities comes from non-renewable resources. According to the International Energy Agency, almost 20% of global electricity is consumed for lighting, which is responsible for high levels of carbon emissions. But there’s also the belief that electrical light itself is a form of pollution by destroying our view of the night sky.
From the above reasons, then, it seems wise to investigate other approaches. The city of Glasgow is attempting to use intelligent street lighting to monitor how citizens interact with the urban landscape and minimize electrical consumption and thus emissions. This “Smart City approach” is seen by many as the way of the future, but some designers aren’t convinced. They are pioneering the altogether more original approach of using materials from the natural world in order to replace electrical light entirely. They believe that this new “technology” can one day completely replace microchips and digital systems as we find better ways of making use of the light-producing mechanisms (制) that already exist in the natural world.
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