1 . A fisherman in northern Cambodia hooked what researchers say is the world’s largest freshwater fish — a giant stingray (黄貂鱼) that scientists know relatively little about.
The fisherman, 42, caught the 300-kilogram fish, which measured about four meters in length, near a remote island on the Mekong River in the Stung Treng area. A team of scientists from the Wonders of Mekong research project helped tag (给…装标签), measure and weigh the fish before it was released back into the river. The research group believes it was healthy when released and expects it to survive.
The tag—which emits an acoustic (声音的) signal — will allow researchers to track the fish’s movements and they hope, learn more about its species’ behavior in the Mekong.
The catch “highlights how little we know about a lot of these giant freshwater fish,” said Zeb Hogan, a fish biologist at the University of Nevada. “You have a fish that’s now the record holder for the world’s largest freshwater fish, and we know little about it.”
The fisherman, Moul Thun, caught the giant stingray with a hook and line on the evening of June 13, and then contacted researchers the next morning.
Researchers with the Wonders of Mekong were already in northern Cambodia to install underwater receivers as part of a project to track migratory fish in the river.
“It’s a particularly healthy stretch of the river with a lot of deep pools — pools up to 90 meters deep,” said Hogan, who is also the host of National Geographic’s “Monster Fish” television series. “We started focusing on this area as a stretch of river that’s particularly important for biodiversity and fisheries, and as a last refuge (避难所) for these big species.”
For several months, the research group has been in contact with local fishermen, asking them to get in touch if they landed a significant catch. The group has helped with two other large giant freshwater stingray releases in recent months. The fisherman who caught the record fish was paid market price for his catch. “It works because the fish is not a highly prized food fish,” Hogan said.
Hogan said little is known about the giant freshwater stingray. The creature has a mouth about “the size of a banana” with no teeth, but with “gripping pads” used to crush (压碎) prey. “They’re on the bottom finding shrimps, mollusks and small fish. They can suck them up with this banana-shaped mouth and crush them,” he said.
1. What did the scientists use the tag to do?| A．To enable the freshwater fish to survive. |
| B．To record the sound of the freshwater fish. |
| C．To be informed of the freshwater fish’s health. |
| D．To help them know more about the freshwater fish. |
| A．Optimistic. | B．Regretful. | C．Indifferent. | D．Proud. |
| A．Their depth can hardly be measured. |
| B．They are too deep to explore in detail. |
| C．There is a special TV show about them. |
| D．They are likely home to big species. |
| A．To discover highly prized food fish. |
| B．To sell their big catch at a lower price. |
| C．To report their unusual catch in time. |
| D．To show respect for the significant catch. |
The Great Wall of China is a symbol of ancient Chinese civilization. It is one of the world’s
The Great Wall,
Through thousands of years and the replacement of the dynasties, many parts of the Great Wall have been damaged
3 . California, Arizona and Nevada announced an agreement on Monday to cut their use of the Colorado River by another 14% in exchange for $1.2 billion grants (拨款) from the US government. The landmark agreement, which lasts through 2026, would avoid compulsory cuts set by the US government to keep the crucial Colorado River basin from collapsing in the face of constant over-consumption and a long drought worsened by climate change.
The 1,450-mile-long Colorado River provides drinking water for 40 million people in seven US states, part of Mexico, and several Native American tribes. It also supplies water for 5.5 million acres of productive farmland.
The Interior Department needs to sign off on the agreement before it takes effect. Camille Touton, leading member of the Interior Department’s Bureau of Reclamation, called the agreement “an important step forward toward our shared goal of creating a sustainable path for the basin that millions of people call home.”
The voluntary cuts are about half of what the US government said were needed last year, but an exceptionally wet winter and unusually plentiful snow pack gave the seven states that use the Colorado River a temporary relief. The two dammed reservoirs (水库) on the river, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, have risen 7 feet and 26 feet, respectively, since April, after falling to crisis levels in 2022. Lake Mead is now 30% full and Lake Powell 27%.
Arizona, California and Nevada draw their Colorado River water from Lake Mead while four Upper Basin states—Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming—use water directly from the river and its branches. All seven basin states still have to reach a longer-term arrangement for use of the declining Colorado River after 2026. Monday’s agreement is “a great start”, Jack Schmidt, director of the Utah State University’s Center for Colorado River Studies, tells the Los Angeles Times. “It’s about 25% of where we ultimately need to get.”
1. What do you know about the Colorado River?| A．It measures 1,450 kilometres long. | B．It’s an inland river in the USA. |
| C．Arizona is in its Upper Basin. | D．It’s overused by people along it. |
| A．The productive land. | B．The Interior Department. |
| C．The wet winter and much snow. | D．Lake Mead and Lake Powell. |
| A．It was in exchange for $1.2 billion grants. |
| B．The Interior Department would sign off on it. |
| C．All 7 basin states have reached a longer-term agreement based on it. |
| D．It helped to achieve the goal of using the Colorado River sustainably. |
| A．The Colorado River is suffering | B．More efforts are still needed |
| C．An important agreement is reached | D．Climate change is getting worse |
4 . Do the colors that surround you influence how you feel? Can the colors on your walls and on your clothes affect your moods? Some researchers believe the answer is a decisive yes, while others aren’t so sure.
Yet many marketers, interior designers, medical professionals and others swear by an informal field of science known as color psychology. Color psychology is defined as “the study of how the colors we perceive impact our thoughts and feelings.”
Marketers use the science of color to persuade us to buy things. When choosing paint, furniture and wall art, interior designers act on the theory that colors can arouse certain feelings in us. Dentists are often advised to use light blue paint on their office walls to help calm apprehensive patients.
We should keep in mind, though, that only by considering cultural preferences are we able to fully understand the science of color. For instance, in the West, white is for brides and black is for funerals. But in ancient Asia, white was sometimes worn for funerals. In Japan yellow represents courage while in the United States, it represents happiness. Additionally, many variables including gender, age, background and more must be considered before making color assumptions when one is studying the effects of color.
After taking color variable into account it’s safe to consider some mainstream theories about specific colors and their meanings. Here are just a few:
Red symbolizes love, energy, passion and danger. Red is also believed to increase one’s hunger, which might be the reason why McDonald’s and Coca-Cola chose red as their major branding color.
Brown, a color from nature, best represents things that are honest, trustworthy and dependable. It seems a perfect fit as the branding color for the package delivery company UPS.
Blue-in addition to representing peace and calm-also means integrity and competence. It’s no surprise that PayPal and American Express both use blue as their branding color.
Green-another color from nature-represents health, growth and freshness and is the perfect branding color for Starbucks.
Pink symbolizes love, romance, innocence and femininity (女性特质). The popular doll company that makes Barbie uses pink as its major branding color.
If color psychology advocates are correct, then our emotions and decisions are truly influenced by the colors around us. With this knowledge, we can effectively harness (驾驭) color power to create positive school, work and home environments.
1. What does the phrase “swear by” in the second paragraph probably mean?| A．deeply investigate | B．somewhat doubt |
| C．deeply believe | D．still wish |
| A．To remind we should take culture into account when learning the science of color. |
| B．To state that cultural preferences are decisive factors in color psychology. |
| C．To show different cultures have different preferences for different colors. |
| D．To prove white and black represent complete different things in different countries. |
| A．color psychology may help us make correct decisions in life |
| B．color psychology is an uncultivated field in modern science |
| C．color psychology has been recognized throughout the world |
| D．color psychology is influencing our emotions and decisions |
| A．The potential effects of color on our lives. |
| B．The positives and negatives of color psychology. |
| C．The foundation and function of color psychology. |
| D．The relationship between color and man Section |
5 . Indoor plants might look as if they just sit around not doing much, but in many ways they are the unsung heroes of the home.
What are indoor plants?
Indoor plants, also known as houseplants or pot plants, are plants that like to grow indoors. Many of these species (物种) are not ideally suited to growing outside in the UK, especially in the winter.
Why are indoor plants good for you?
Will Spoelstra, who works at the Royal Botanic Gardens, says, “
Which plants can you grow?
Aloe vera, peace lilies and spider plants are some of the species that are easy to grow indoors. You can buy plants from supermarkets, garden centres or online. Younger plants are often cheaper than fully grown ones, and you get to care for them as they mature — which is part of the joy of owning plants. “
| A．All plants are different |
| B．Not only do they look beautiful |
| C．There are many benefits to growing plants indoors |
| D．Instead, they grow better inside, where it is warmer |
| E．Plants like peace lilies and devil’s ivy are among the best |
| F．Changing the pot of your plant from time to time will also help |
| G．Learning about the requirements of each plant can be very rewarding |
6 . Scientists say a huge percentage of bird species are in danger because their habitats, or homelands, are disappearing.
Traditional migration paths take birds through countries that are not protecting the places for birds to stop, rest and feed. The scientists studied the migration or flight paths of almost 1,500 species. They decided that 91 percent of them passed through dangerous areas.
The major danger for migratory birds is development. Buildings and pavements have covered the places where birds stop and feed as they move from one part of the world to another. One of the scientists who worked on the study says “Many of these important places have been lost to land reclamation because of urban, industrial and agricultural land expansion”.
The problem, according to scientists, is that many of these small birds die along their migration paths because they don’t have a safe place to feed and rest. There is no place to restore their energy for the next part of their journey. Countries in North Africa, Central Asia and those along the coasts of East Asia are having the most difficult time in protecting land. The scientists say these countries do not have enough areas that are safe for birds. One species that doesn’t exist now is the Eskimo curlew. “Our world gets poorer every time we lose a species,” one of the scientists says.
The researchers say countries need to work together and come up with safe stopping areas for birds that pass through their boundaries. For example, one country might have preserved safe zones for migrating birds. But a neighbor country might not. A bird might die.
One scientist who is not connected with the report tells Los Angeles Times that while some habitats are changing, more work can be done to make urban areas safe for birds.
He says small changes, like planting more native plants or keeping cats out of the areas birds would be likely to use, could make a big difference.
1. What mainly caused the disappearing of birds’ habitats?| A．The decrease of awareness to protect birds. | B．Natural disasters. |
| C．Overuse of land by human beings. | D．The rising sea level. |
| A．Tiredness and hunger. | B．Beast attack on the ground. |
| C．Hunting of humans. | D．The long journey. |
| A．By keeping fewer cats or dogs. |
| B．By restoring their destroyed habitats. |
| C．By helping change the birds’ migration paths. |
| D．By preserving the ecological environments on their migration paths. |
| A．To call on people to protect the birds’ habitats. |
| B．To analyze the reasons for disappearing of birds’ habitats. |
| C．To offer some solutions to the problem of birds’ habitats. |
| D．To tell us a huge percentage of bird species are in danger. |
7 . The UNESCO World Heritage List is a prestigious honour awarded to sites of outstanding universal value around the world. Did you know there are 1,157 UNESCO World Heritage Sites spanning across 167 countries? We’ve picked out our top 4 for you to visit below.
The Acropolis, Greece
The Acropolis is an ancient castle that stands proud in the Greek city of Athens. Back in the fifth century BC after battle with the Persians, the plans of Pericles came to life under the influence of Pheidias, the sculptor. It then became a place for thought and art to flourish, where symbols of classical spirit and civilisation came alive.
Historic centre of Rome, Italy
According to Roman mythology, the Eternal City was founded in 753 BC and became the capital of the mighty Roman Empire. Rome is home to a number of attractions including the Forum, the Pantheon and the Colosseum! This World Heritage site contains the whole historic centre within the city walls and reflects the influence of the Renaissance and Baroque periods in making it one of Italy’s most popular cities.
Ayutthaya Historical Park, Thailand
The historic city of Ayutthaya in Thailand was founded around 1350 and was subsequently destroyed in the 18th century by the Burmese. What’s left today is the ruins and some key highlights include the Buddhist temples of Wat Ratchaburana, Wat Mahathat and Wat Phra Sri Sanphet. The area is home to the remains of tall prang (reliquary towers) and should not be missed.
Cultural landscape of Bali, Indonesia
The landscape in Bali is unlike anything else on Earth. Consisting of five rice terraces (梯田) and water temples covering 19,500 hectares, the cultural landscape takes your breath away. This site gains honour through an ancient farming ceremony dating back to the 9th century known as subak. This concept reflects the spirit, the human world and nature, also known as Tri Hita Karana.
1. What might have happened in Greece in the 5th century BC?| A．Greece became famous for its castles. | B．Pheidias became a sculptor. |
| C．Greece fought against Persians. | D．The Greek spirit disappeared. |
| A．A rice terrace. | B．A cultural landscape. | C．A water temple. | D．An agricultural ceremony. |
| A．The Acropolis. | B．The Eternal City. | C．Ayutthaya. | D．Tri Hita Karana. |
1.活动要求和注意事项；
2.个人想法。
注意：
1.词数100词左右；
2.标题已为你写好。
题目为: Trees Planting Activity Is Calling On Us
Trees Planting Activity Is Calling On Us
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A research team led by Guo Songtao, professor at the Northwest University in China, is developing a system with facial recognition and other technologies
“In the past few years, machine learning
With the facial recognition technology
10 . 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. |
