| A．Sunny. | B．Rainy. | C．Cloudy. |
2 . Earthquakes cannot be forecast, but engineers can prepare for them. Seismic-isolation (地震隔离) systems built into the bases of certain buildings in high-risk areas, use complex structures of concrete, rubber and metal to reduce quake damage by absorbing the ground’s horizontal shaking.
But such adaptations are expensive. Engineer Jian Zhang of the University of California, says building seismic isolation-system can increase construction costs by up to 20 percent. Although these systems might save more than they cost over time, builders in some regions may not have the budget for them at present.
A new seismic-isolation method uses the physics of rolling to create a lower-cost alternative with readily available materials: recycled tennis balls. “Everyone plays tennis, and they don’t know what to do with the tennis balls after each game,” says ETH Zürich seismic engineer Michalis Vassiliou.
Vassiliou’s team based its method on an early form of seismic-isolation that rolls a shaking building to a stop the way a skater in a half-pipe eventually comes to rest. By separating a building from the ground with a layer of spheres (球体), rolling isolation changes unstable horizontal shaking into a gentle rocking motion. This method was used in 5,000-year-old Peruvian pyramids, but today builders favor expensive, standardized isolation systems.
For their modern take on rolling seismic-isolation, the researchers injected concrete-like mixes into hundreds of balls that had lost their bounce. They built an inexpensive model consisting of four filled tennis balls sandwiched between two concrete slabs (厚板), and they found that it withstood earthquake shaking while supporting eight kilo newtons of force per ball — about twice what isolation systems might experience under one-story houses.
Zhang says that the work is worthwhile and that such technology might serve an unmet need. But she notes that the results are primary. Vassiliou agrees; next steps will mean creating and testing a larger model with hundreds of tennis balls at a research center in earthquake-prone Cuba — an example of a place where such systems could make isolation practicable in ordinary construction.
1. Why do the engineers adopt recycled tennis balls?| A．To improve the performance of tennis balls. |
| B．To help deal with the tennis balls after matches. |
| C．To simplify the complex structures of buildings. |
| D．To cut the expense of seismic-isolation building. |
| A．Recycling useless tennis balls. | B．Transforming the shaking into a gentle one. |
| C．Withstanding earthquake shaking. | D．Enabling a house to support much more force. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Unclear. | C．Objective. | D．Approving. |
| A．Researchers are creating and testing models in Cuba. |
| B．Engineers are exploring ways of earthquake forecasts. |
| C．A low-cost design helps shaking buildings roll to a stop. |
| D．Recycled tennis balls could protect buildings from disasters. |
3 . In September 2017, Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, killing 3,000 people and affecting normal life for months. The storm first arrived on a small island off the main island’s eastern coast called Cayo Santiago, which is home to some 1,500 rhesus macaques (恒河猴). To everyone’s surprise, nearly all the monkeys survived the storm. The monkeys reacted by changing their social order, it turned out.
After the storm, the observers noticed that the monkeys seemed to become more tolerant. Were they really more tolerant of one another? To find out, the new paper compares two behaviors during the three years before the storm and for one year afterward.
The team assumed that the monkeys would strengthen existing bonds, but that is not what happened. “We saw active building of relationships with individuals that they didn’t really interact with before.” says Michael Platt.
That probably came largely from the need for shade, which had become a limited resource after the hurricane. “What types of social relationships are going to be most helpful if what you need is relief from the Caribbean sun?” says behavioral ecologist Lauren Brent. “The best solution might be to expand areas, make some new connections, and make sure you’ve always got some shade available. Imagine walking into a crowded bar and trying to find a seat at a table: the more people you know, the more likely you are to be able to sit down.”
When humans face natural disasters, we often behave as the macaques did, coming together as a community and reaching out to help strangers. “Unfortunately, those have largely been limited by the social distancing restrictions necessitated by COVID 19”, Platt says. Instead, during COVID-19, we have had to do the opposite of what the monkeys did.
This paper is only the team’s first study on the macaques after Hurricane Maria. “It’s going to be really exciting, as we dig into all of this biological data that we have,” Platt says. “We’re going to be able to lean things from these monkeys that we have not been able to learn from humans or from any other animal.”
1. How did nearly all rhesus macaques survive the storm?| A．By seeking safer habitats together. |
| B．By building broader social networks. |
| C．By strengthening their current bonds. |
| D．By tolerating their former partners. |
| A．By making a comparison. |
| B．By introducing a concept. |
| C．By using an expert’s words. |
| D．By referring to another study. |
| A．Our communicative behaviors. |
| B．Natural disasters. |
| C．Communities and strangers. |
| D．Rhesus macaques. |
| A．Platt is unsatisfied with the results of the study. |
| B．Platt wants to collect more data about the macaques. |
| C．Platt will continue the study on the rhesus macaques. |
| D．Platt will conduct similar studies on other animals. |
4 . Phil Wise’s heart raced as he opened one of the transport tubes. He and a team of scientists stepped back as a young Tasmanian devil(袋獾) named Oddity came out. Oddity took a cautious look around and then ran into the forest on Maria Island.
Wise is a wildlife biologist from the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program. The scientists working with this program study Tasmanian devils, monitor their health, and track the devils found in the wild. Because a rare disease is reducing the number of devils, Oddity and 14 others were raised on a preserve and then brought to Maria Island to be released into the wild.
Though they are raised in zoos all over the world, devils live wild only in Tasmania. They are important to the ecosystem because they eat dead animals they find, which helps clean up the environment. But a cancer called Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD) is killing devils on mainland Tasmania, endangering the species. The goal of the scientists who released Oddity and the others was to create a population of disease-free Tasmanian devils on Maria Island. Oddity is a part of this “insurance population” of devils raised in zoos and wildlife preserves.
The scientists chose Maria Island for the release because there is no DFTD there. It is separated from mainland Tasmania by the ocean. Devils from the rest of Tasmania can’t get there, which prevents the facial disease from spreading.
Wise and his fellow scientists monitored Oddity and the 14 other Tasmanian devils. The animals did so well that 13 more devils were released. The 28 original Tasmanian devils have reproduced; there are now around 80 devils. Scientists are now figuring out their next move. According to Wise, the focus will soon shift to moving some of the healthy devils back to mainland Tasmania.
Wise says he is “extremely happy to know that animals are getting a chance to be free in the wild in an area that is free of DFTD. It is the ultimate aim of all who work to conserve threatened species.”
1. Why did Wise and his team release the Tasmanian devils like Oddity?| A．To prevent DFTD killing them out. | B．To find out a treatment for DFTD. |
| C．To control the DFTD spread in zoos. | D．To protect Maria Island from DFTD. |
| A．Its wildlife diversity. | B．Its geographic location. |
| C．Its natural resources. | D．Its improved ecosystem. |
| A．Their safety was uncertain. | B．Their number was going up. |
| C．They hardly enjoyed freedom. | D．They recovered from DFTD. |
| A．A program studying Tasmanian devils. | B．A disease threatening Tasmanian devils. |
| C．A measure to save Tasmanian devils. | D．A habitat of wild Tasmanian devils. |
For nearly four months, the little dog, Indiana, fortunately survived in the woods with a wounded shoulder. She'd been mistaken for a wolf and shot while running wild with her mother, Dakota. An animal control officers said they were the most strongly bonded pair he'd even seen and the two dogs refused to leave each other's side, even while trying to escape being caught.
As a result of the gunshot, Indiana lost both her leg and her mother, for the two were sent to different adoption groups. While Indiana was learning to walk on three legs down south, Dakota was 1,000 miles north in New England. The first adoption family returned her two days later. They said the dog couldn't bond with humans, kept them up all night and wasn't suitable to live in a home. Eventually, Dakota found her forever home with me on Long Island. I have experience with such dogs, and Dakota, a husky (哈士奇犬), just needed attention and someone who understood how to approach her. I always let her come up to me. I gave her the time and space to explore and feel comfortable. She soon let me put a belt on her and would lie on the sofa with me quietly.
When I, accidentally, read the post of Dakota's first adopter, it mentioned that the little dog Dakota had been running with was shot, and, I thought, killed. I'm a broadcast news journalist, so I always did some survey and, by chance, heard a story from a South Carolina TV news outlet about a dog that recently had her front leg cut off because of an old gunshot wound. And anyone who wanted to adopt Indiana was required to have a six-foot fence because she kept jumping over the one at the care shelter in South Carolina. There was no mistaking it—she looked exactly like Dakota. Indiana wasn't killed by the gunshot, just badly injured.
1．续写词数应为150左右；
2．请在答题卡的相应位置作答。
While Dakota loved me and her new home, she still missed her kid.
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I decided to bring three-legged Indiana to my home.
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6 . The climate change and environmental crises are now closely connected with our daily lives. We've collected a small selection of our favourite documentaries, charting the history and future of the challenges we face.
 | KISS THE GROUND The documentary adopts a light voice when exploring the power of the worlds soils to draw in carbon from the air. The film begins by examining how farming and pesticides have led to soil loss, tracking the damage done to ecology, health and climate. The solution is found through regenerative faming —a field receiving more and more attention. |
 | ICE ON FIRE Dramatically titled, Leonardo DiCaprio's 2019 documentary focuses on the melting polar ice caps of the Arctic. The documentary explores the planetary impact of melting ice, but intelligently includes solutions. DiCaprio explores renewable energy technologies and sustainable economies to put forward a vision for a cleaner future. |
 | CHASING CORAL It can be difficult to really understand what climate breakdown looks like. In 2017, Chasing Coral brought the very real impacts of climate change into sharp focus. The insight into the world's corals suffering from ocean acidification and temperature rise is impressive. |
 | REBUILDNG PARADISE Wildfires — once a natural regulator of ecosystems, now an increasing phenomenon thrown out of rhythm by climate change — are so frequent that many hardly consider the consequence. While it's one thing to deal with the financial loss and restoration, it's something quite different to repair the broken spirit of a community. In Rebuilding Paradise, we follow the journey of the citizens of Paradise, California, as they attempt to restart their lives from the ashes of the destructive 2018 wildfires. |
| A．KISS THE GROUND | B．ICE ON FIRE |
| C．CHASING CORAL | D．REBUILDING PARADISE |
| A．Wildfires nowadays break out as frequently as before. |
| B．Wildfires have both physical and psychological impacts. |
| C．The damage caused by wildfires can never be recovered. |
| D．Wildfires do more harm to economy than to the environment. |
| A．They focus on the speed of the global warming. |
| B．They relate to the global issue of climate change. |
| C．They analyze the frequency of the natural disasters. |
| D．They present solutions to dealing with the challenges. |
7 . Human is struggling to contain two major crises: Skyrocketing global temperatures and deep-diving biodiversity (生物多样性). But people tend to solve each problem on its own, for instance by using green energies and carbon-eating machines, while surrounding ecosystems to preserve them. But a new report argues that treating each crisis in isolation (孤立地) means missing out on solutions that resolve both. Human can't solve one without also solving the other.
So what might these solutions look like? Say, for instance, you turn a heavily logged forest into a national park. As the trees grow back, they would provide habitat for the return of animals. Letting a forest come back naturally, rather than planting a single species of tree to balance up some corporation's carbon emissions (排放), makes it recover faster. This is known as a nature-based solution, a campaign that both absorb carbon and provides an extra ecological or economic benefit.
Stopping human's attacks on ecosystems can also help fight climate change, the study's authors write. Even cities can get in on the action, the report notes. Urban areas turn into "heat islands" because they absorb the sun's energy during the day and slowly release it at night. They are therefore much hotter than surrounding rural areas. Planting more trees cools cities and provides habitats for birds and shade for humans, which will be even more critical as global temperatures rise.
The big threat, the authors stress, is that nature-based solutions alone can't stop climate change. As temperatures climb and droughts get more severe, it'll be harder for forests, wetlands, and mangroves to survive, even with our help. First and foremost, human has to dramatically reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. “Nature is not going to save us." the authors say. “We can only use nature to support efforts.”
“Still, governments and corporations are becoming more conscious of the importance of maintaining biodiversity while also fighting climate change," says Beymer-Farris, from the University of Kentucky. “I myself, as a professor who has been working in this for 20 years, I see a lot of hope, because I see a lot of change on the horizon."
1. How should people deal with the two crises?| A．By using carbon-eating machines. |
| B．By giving priority to one of them. |
| C．By tackling them in the meanwhile. |
| D．By establishing more nature reserves. |
| A．Plant more trees in urban areas. |
| B．Adopt nature- based solutions. |
| C．Send out less greenhouse gas. |
| D．Provide habitats for animals. |
| A．Optimistic. | B．Doubtful. | C．Critical. | D．Concerned. |
| A．Why we care about climate change |
| B．How to live in harmony with nature |
| C．Why urban areas become “heat islands" |
| D．How to protect species and save the planet |
1. 活动目的；
2. 倡议内容；
3. 发起倡议。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为80左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Dear fellow students,
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The Students’ Union
Buried deep in the ruins of the Shang Dynasty, specifically in Anyang City of Henan Province, bones of the rhino(犀牛)were found.
A collection of archaeological evidence has confirmed the
Nevertheless, the rhino was no longer wandering in the region after the Han Dynasty. One explanation is that it was the colder climate of Northeast Asia that saw the creature
Armor was
1. How many people did the group have when it began?
| A．Two. | B．Four. | C．Ten. |
| A．To plant trees for materials. | B．To repair damaged forests. | C．To attract more animals. |
| A．Educating children. | B．Gathering donations. | C．Attracting more volunteers. |
| A．Traveling for school projects. | B．Protecting the environment. | C．Starting a business. |
