Zlateh the Goat
This winter, for Reuven, it was a bad one, and after long hesitation he decided to sell Zlateh, the goat. She was old and gave little milk. Reuven told his boy Aaron to take the goat to the butcher in town.
Aaron understood what it meant, but he had to obey his father. Leah, his mother, wiped the tears from her eyes. Aaron put on thick clothes, and took along two slices of bread with cheese to eat on the road.
While the family said good-bye to the goat, Zlateh licked Reuven’s hand and she shook her small white beard. The sun was shining when Aaron left the village. Suddenly the weather changed. In his twelve years Aaron had never experienced a snow like this. His hands were numb, and he could no longer feel his toes.
Suddenly he found a haystack (干草堆) and dragged Zlateh after him. When he reached the hay, he made out a nest for himself and the goat. The moment she smelt the hay, she began to eat. Outside, the snow continued to fall. Aaron ate his two slices of bread and cheese. Then he milked her. The milk was rich and sweet.
The outside was still completely dark. He began to talk to Zlateh. “If the snow keeps on falling like this, we may have to stay here for days,” Aaron explained.
“Maaaa,” Zlateh bleated.
Aaron said patiently. “I need you and you need me. Isn’t that right?”
“Maaaa.”
For three days Aaron and Zlateh stayed in the haystack. Aaron had always loved Zlateh, but in these three days he loved her more and more. She fed him with her milk and helped him keep warm.
On the morning of the fourth day Aaron heard the ringing of sleigh (雪橇) bells. The peasant who drove the sleigh pointed out the way to him — not to the butcher, but home to the village. Aaron had decided in the haystack that he would never part with Zlateh.
注意：
1. 续写一段文字；
2. 词数应为100左右。
Aaron’s family and their neighbors had searched for the boy and the goat but had found no trace of them during the storm. Then came the fourth day.
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2 . History is filled with many legends of man — eating plants and trees. A man — eating flower was described in the ship’s log of Arkwright. He described this as a large flower with bright petals (花瓣) capable of releasing a special smell that causes the victim to rest on the large petals. Once the victim was in its trap, the flower would close over the victim and digest him alive.
There really are carnivorous plants that can catch and consume small insects, but are there or have there ever been meat-eating plants capable of catching humans, as some explorers have claimed? In this article, we’ll look at one of the most famous man-eating plants in the world and what discoverers and the locals had to say about it — Nicaraguan Vampire Vine.
Found in the swamps (沼泽地) of Nicaragua, local natives refer to this plant as “The Devil’s Snare”. It has been described as an octopus in general appearance. A naturalist called Dunstan spent two years studying the local plant and animal life and made this discovery in a swamp close to Lake Nicaragua. Dunstan was collecting specimens in the area when his dog let out a loud cry.
Unsure whether or not this was due to pain, terror, or a combination of the two, Dunstan rushed to the source of the dog and saw it in a network of roots. These were dark in color, somewhat black, and sent out a sticky gum that had a horrible smell. Dunstan used his knife to cut these tendrils (触须) immediately but was initially unable to do so. Not only were these difficult to cut with just his knife, but they actively fought back.
Dunstan did manage to save his dog, but both suffered injuries during this encounter. Dunstan’s both hands were swelling; his dog was covered in blood. The dog didn’t know which way to go and had trouble walking. Not much else is known about this plant, but the locals do fear it immensely and leave it well alone.
1. How did the man-eating flower attract victims to get close to it?| A．Set up a trap. | B．Show their beautiful appearance. |
| C．Send out a smell. | D．Provide them with petals to rest. |
| A．vegetarian | B．world-famous | C．cruel | D．meat-eating |
| A．It appears together with octopus. |
| B．It could strike back when attacked. |
| C．It had tendrils that could digest dogs. |
| D．It was found by Dunstan in Lake Nicaragua. |
| A．The dog wasn’t seriously hurt in the end. |
| B．Dunstan saved his dog without being hurt. |
| C．People learned more about this plant in detail. |
| D．The locals didn’t dare to get close to the plant. |
3 . There exist a great variety of national parks that are representative of the different regions of the world. To reveal and maintain the great diversity of the interactions between humans and their environment, and to protect living cultures and preserve the traces (痕迹) of those which have disappeared, these sites have been included in the World Heritage List.
Lushan National Park, China
Mount Lushan, in Jiangxi, is one of the spiritual centres of Chinese civilization. Buddhist and Taoist temples, along with landmarks of Confucianism blend (融合) effortlessly into a strikingly beautiful landscape which has inspired countless artists who developed the aesthetic (美的) approach to nature found in Chinese culture. Special attention has been placed on protecting the cultural heritages and their settings as a whole.
Dinosaur Provincial Park, Canada
In addition to its particularly beautiful scenery, Dinosaur Provincial Park — located at the heart of the province of Alberta’s badlands — contains some of the most important fossil discoveries ever made from the “Age of Reptiles”, in particular about 35 species of dinosaur, dating back some 75 million years. These fossils are valuable materials for scientists to study the history of the earth.
Kaziranga National Park, India
In the heart of Assam, this park is one of the last areas in eastern India undisturbed by a human presence. It is inhabited by the world’s largest population of one-horned rhinoceroses, as well as many mammals, including tigers, elephants, panthers and bears, and thousands of birds.
Komodo National Park, Indonesia
These volcanic islands are inhabited by a population of around 5,700 giant lizards, whose appearance and attacking behaviour have led to them being called “Komodo dragons”. They exist nowhere else in the world and are of great interest to scientists studying the theory of evolution.
1. Why are these above parks included in the World Heritage List?| A．They are famous worldwide. |
| B．They have gorgeous landscape. |
| C．They are representative of the different regions. |
| D．They have important values and need protecting. |
| A．Know about religious culture. | B．Enjoy being with animals. |
| C．Study the theory of evolution. | D．Learn the history of the earth. |
| A．Lushan National Park, China. | B．Dinosaur Provincial Park, Canada. |
| C．Kaziranga National Park, India. | D．Komodo National Park, Indonesia. |
Beekeepers in China’s high-tech powerhouse of Zhejiang Province have developed a smart way of using intelligent beehives (蜂窝) to change bee farming. Over 300
Chen Pinghua, chair of Qiandao Lake Mozhidao Biotechnology Co. Ltd., which operates the bee farm, said the smart hives were equipped with sensors,
Each hive has a unique QR code that
Saturday happened at the same time with World Honey Bee Day
“Beekeeping has a long history in China, but it has remained as
5 . Findings of an international team of researchers from Japan and China suggest that geese might have been the first poultry species to have been domesticated (驯养) by humans—as far back as 7,000 years ago.
Scientists have long held different opinions on the history of the domestication of birds, with a belief that it was chickens that were the first to be domesticated. In 2014, Chinese researchers reported ancient DNA taken from the earliest archaeological chicken bone discovery in China, suggesting chickens were domesticated in northern China as early as 10,000 years ago.
But the researchers behind the latest findings say that the 2014 study lacks firm evidence. In the new study, the team unearthed the archaeological site of Tianluoshan, a 7,000-year-old rice cultivation village in the lower Yangtze River valley in what is today known as East China’s Zhejiang province. They found a total of 232 goose bones at the site. The inhabitants of the village were hunter-gatherers.
The researchers used multiple approaches to study the bones, and found evidence of domestication.
Four bones were from goslings (幼鹅) ranging from eight to 16 weeks old, suggesting they hatched near the site. Geese were domesticated from wild geese. These migratory birds fly to northern Siberia to breed (繁殖) after the spring and then fly south for the winter, according to researchers from the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology. They said the goslings were too young to have flown in from elsewhere. At the time, Tianluoshan did not have the conditions to be a natural breeding place for wild geese, so it follows that the goslings were born after domestication.
The researchers also analyzed the chemical makeup of adult goose bones, which contained evidence of the water they drank. Their analysis indicated that the adult geese also seemed to have been locally bred, for they were all roughly the same size. Carbon dating also showed that the bones belonged to geese that lived about 7,000 years ago.
Researchers say ancient DNA analysis is required in further studies to investigate which species were bred to become local geese populations.
1. Where did the researchers find the goose bones?| A．In Tianluoshan. | B．In northern China. |
| C．In northern Siberia. | D．In the upper Yangtze river valley. |
| A．Their parents were wild geese. |
| B．They were probably raised by humans. |
| C．They flew to Tianluoshan for winter. |
| D．They were too young and had to stay. |
| A．The result of the study. | B．The importance of the study. |
| C．The process of domestication. | D．The evidence of domestication. |
| A．To show how geese were domesticated by humans. |
| B．To prove that chickens were not the first to be domesticated. |
| C．To show a new study on the history of the birds’ domestication. |
| D．To introduce how the geese were domesticated from wild geese. |
6 . Deadly floods hit China’s Henan province in July, 2021. Being caught in a flood is incredibly dangerous.
●Avoid bridges that cross rapidly-moving water.
●Listen to emergency broadcasts for further instructions.
●Stay inside a car trapped by fast-moving water. Only get out if the water begins to flood the car itself, then move to the roof of the vehicle.
●
●Avoid power lines. A downed power line can cause surrounding water to become charged, leading to electrocution.
●After the flood, don’t drink or use flood water first. Use only bottled, boiled, or treated water for drinking, cooking, bathing, etc.
| A．If told to evacuate, do so. |
| B．If trapped within a flooding building, move to the highest floor. |
| C．Firstly, as little as one foot of flood water can sweep cars away, |
| D．Safely cleaning your home if it has come in contact with flood water. |
| E．Apart from that, return to your home only after local authorities have said it is safe to do so. |
| F．Flash floods are known to rip trees out of the ground, destroy buildings and cause bridges to collapse. |
| G．The after effects of the flood can be just as deadly, as it may be impossible to deliver essential supplies to the area. |
7 . Cats have a reputation as a cold and distant domesticated(家养的)animal. But they do feel affection towards their humans: they simply express it differently and it’s not just cat people saying it! Now there’s science to prove it, too.
Oregon State University researchers concluded that cats really do actually love their humans after conducting a new study on kittens, modeled after previous research on dogs and babies.
The study, published in Current Biology, examined how kitten subjects reacted after spending two minutes with their caregivers, being left alone, then reuniting for another two minutes. After the experiment, they sorted each kitten by their stress level called “attachment style. ”
64% of the kittens showed a “secure attachment style ” to their caregivers, meaning the cat seemed upset when they left the room but “displayed a reduced stress response” upon their return. On the other hand. about 30% of the kittens were found to have an “insecure attachment style”, which means their stress levels did not decrease upon their person’s return to the room. That said, this data is consistent with the study on human children—so the smaller percentage with insecure attachment styles is not specific to cats, contrary to popular belief.
Also of note: the percentage of cats with “secure” attachment styles is actually higher than dogs“, only 58% of dogs showed the ”secure“ attachment, while 42% were categorized as insecure.
1. What is the conclusion of the study?| A．Cats love babies much more than adults. |
| B．Cats are more friendly to humans than dogs. |
| C．Cats show a cold attitude towards humans. |
| D．Cats love their caregivers in their own way. |
| A．By their sound. | B．By their reaction. | C．By their movement. | D．By their expression. |
| A．More kittens belong to the insecure attachment style. |
| B．The study result is different from that of the human kids. |
| C．More kittens feel less stressed after their caregivers’ return. |
| D．Most believe the secure attachment style only exists in kittens. |
| A．comparison | B．narration (story-telling) | C．repetition | D．cause and effect |
8 . A recon study suggests that small shopping shifts can make a difference on green house gas emissions while improving your health. After analyzing the grocery purchases of more than 57,000 households, researchers found 71 percent could reduce their food carbon footprint by following three tips:
Skip the unhealthy snacks
Avoiding foods with high calorie counts and low nutritional value can reduce the total carbon footprint of household food consumption by nearly 10 percent. Items like candy, soda, and packaged snacks take more ingredients and more processing, which translates to higher environmental impacts.
Watch bulk buys
Households of one or two people may end up with food waste when they try to save money with bulk buys. Before you buy supersize, consider whether a three-pound jar of peanut butter will go bad before it’s used up.
Trim ready-made foods
One average microwave meal may not have a very large carbon footprint. But buying them regularly can add up to significant emissions because ready-made foods’ large sales volume increases their carbon emissions, the study found.
By taking the above measures, we could cut more than a quarter of emissions from household food consumption, the researchers say. Collective action can make a huge impact.
1. What is the purpose of the passage?| A．To advertise a green product. | B．To promote green shopping changes. |
| C．To convince people to buy green food. | D．To persuade readers to eat healthy diets. |
| A．A piece of cake. | B．A mini packet of butter. |
| C．Five kilograms of apples. | D．Two cups of 50-gram potato chips. |
| A．They reduce calorie intake. | B．They lead to less food waste. |
| C．they can be more economical. | D．They can lower carbon footprint. |
9 . Some yogurt containers in your grocery store might be looking a little different soon. Pure Dairy yogurt will be sold in cups made mostly of paper. Pure Dairy is a food company which specializes in making yogurt which is often sold in plastic containers. But plastic, unlike paper, can take hundreds of years to break down, leading to long-lasting waste. Now, Pure Dairy’s first-ever paper cups will replace the plastic cups previously used to hold its yogurt products.
“People have been asking for a paper cup, and we welcome this challenge to start reducing our plastic use, and to spark a conversation about how we can drive change together. I think we all have a role to play in protecting our planet.” said Hamdi Ulukaya, Pure Dairy’s founder and chief executive officer.
Pure Dairy currently produces yogurt, creamers, coffee and plant-based drinks. Many of these products already come in paper-based, recyclable packaging. But its yogurt products had always been sold in plastic. That’s why the company has spent the past two years working to create a paper cup. They wanted it to hold yogurt just as well as the plastic cups do. The paper cup is expected to hit grocery shelves at the end of this year, which is 80 percent paperboard made from renewable materials.
The new paper cup still has a thin plastic lining to maintain the quality of the product and prevent the yogurt from seeping into the packaging. Although packaging with mixed materials is often not recyclable, Pure Dairy will continue working with partners to make it happen. This group works with businesses to make their products and packaging more sustainable, meaning they want to use resources so that they will continue to be available in the future. The yogurt company says it hopes to put more sustainable packaging on shelves all over the country which will use less plastic and more paper.
1. Why will the company sell yogurt in paper containers?| A．To reduce waste. | B．To create a new packaging. |
| C．To recycle the plastic containers. | D．To specialize in making paper cups. |
| A．Share. | B．Continue. | C．Dominate. | D．Activate. |
| A．It can be recyclable. | B．It is made of plastic and paper. |
| C．It doesn’t satisfy the public’s demands. | D．It is not the joint effort of the companies. |
| A．Paper cups may replace the plastic cups. | B．A lot of paper products will be available. |
| C．A renewable material will replace yogurt. | D．The company hopes to produce more packaging. |
10 . HOW TO FIND WATER IN THE WILD
Getting lost in the wild is something that could happen to just anyone. The single most important thing you need to live is water. If you’re resourceful and know where to look, you can find or collect good drinking water in just about any environment on earth. Here are four top tips:
Find a muddy area
Dig a hole about a foot deep and one foot in diameter(直径) and wait. You may be surprised to find that the hole is soon filled with water, which will be muddy, but straining it through some cloth will clean it up, and it will get you by in the short term. It’s crucial to remember that any time you drink found water without purifying it, you’re taking a risk.
Look for plants
In a desert, look for where plants are growing, as they need water. Try to get up high and look downwards, as water is often found in low shaded areas.
Desalinate seawater
On an island you’re surrounded by undrinkable water. You can boil it and capture the steam in a cloth. When it’s soaking wet, you can wring out pure water.
Cut the ice
If you are in Arctic, eating snow doesn’t actually get you much water. And melting ice needs lots of fuel. One good way to get water is cutting through a frozen lake or river surface.
Warning: Beware of bad water
Never drink from water that has dead animals or animal remains in it. The water probably has lots of minerals in it and has become toxic. You have the same problem with seawater—it’s too salty to be healthy to drink. Sadly, birds and animals can sometimes drink water that’s unsafe for people, so you can’t ignore other clues if they’re drinking water that looks bad.
1. How do people get water in the muddy area?| A．Capture the steam in a cloth. | B．Look for some plants. |
| C．Dig a hole about a foot deep. | D．Cut through a frozen lake. |
| A．How to store. | B．How to purify. | C．How to boil. | D．How to melt. |
| A．living creatures | B．few minerals | C．salty elements | D．poisonous materials |
