1 . Human language is made possible by an impressive gift for vocal learning. Most animals cannot learn to imitate sounds at all. Though some species can learn how to use natural sounds in new ways, they don’t show a similar ability to learn new calls. Among all nonhuman vocal learners across the branches of life, the most impressive are birds.
“I wouldn’t say they have language in the way linguistic experts define it, ” says the neuroscientist Erich Jarvis. “But I would say they have a primitive form of what we might call spoken language. ”
Birdsong appears to have a lot in common with human speech, such as conveying information intentionally and using simple forms of some of the elements of human language. One key element of human language is semantics, the connection of words with meanings. Over the past four decades, numerous studies have shown that many bird species use different alarm calls for different attackers. Recent studies suggest that the order of some birds’ calls may impact their meaning. This could represent a primary form of the rules governing the order and combination of words and elements in human language known as syntax, as illustrated by the classic “dog bites man” vs “man bites dog” example.
And the parallels run deeper, including similar brain structures that are not shared by species without vocal learning. Jarvis and his team have tried to compare the brain structures in songbirds and humans. “I think we humans tend to overestimate how different we are, ” he says. What has happened is that humans and songbirds have evolved a new forebrain circuit for learned sounds that has taken control of the brain stem circuit for natural sounds. “There is an assumption that species more closely related to us (e. g. monkeys) are going to be most like us. And that is true for many features, ” he says. “But, as you see, this is not true for every feature. ”
With all these similarities in mind, it’s reasonable to ask if birds themselves have language. It may come down to how you define it. But anyway, when the story of the evolution of language is finally complete, be prepared to thank the birds.
1. What is the purpose of paragraph 1?| A．To show different capacities for imitating sounds. |
| B．To illustrate the major features of vocal learning. |
| C．To imply the uniqueness of birds as vocal learners. |
| D．To explain the origin of species differences. |
| A．It is superior to human language. |
| B．It lacks meaningful order of calls. |
| C．It has evolved from human speech. |
| D．It shows certain grammatical features. |
| A．Evolved brain circuit paves the way for vocal learning. |
| B．Humans possess biological uniqueness in vocal learning. |
| C．Closely related species are less likely to share parallels. |
| D．Circuit for natural sounds disables new call learning. |
| A．Bird Brains Suggest How Vocal Learning Evolved |
| B．Birds Are Stretching the Boundaries of Language |
| C．Human Speech and Birdsong Share Biological Roots |
| D．Human Speech Could Have Evolved from Birdsong |
With high yield and superior quality, Chinese hybrid rice varieties have been introduced around the world,
In the past 40 years, Chinese scientists
Yuan Longping,
It
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
4 . Balancing Forests and CO2
Tree planting used to be regarded as an effective means of curbing (抑制) climate change. Perhaps it’s time for us to rethink this practice.
Trees pull carbon dioxide or CO2 from the air. This effectively removes CO2 from the atmosphere, making trees an important part of the fight against climate change. But trees only hold onto carbon dioxide as long as they’re alive. Once they die, trees decay (腐烂) and release that CO2 back into the atmosphere. This movement of carbon between forest and the atmosphere is called a carbon flux (碳通量), a natural process that happens as trees grow and eventually die.
Recent studies have found that trees around the world are growing faster than ever. Rising atmospheric CO2, mainly due to burning fossil (化石) fuels, is probably driving that rapid growth, said Roel Brienen, a forest ecologist at the University of Leeds, UK. High levels of this gas are boosting temperatures, which in turn speeds tree growth in those areas, he added.
The faster trees grow, the faster they store carbon. It seems like good news. However, it is known that fast-growing tree species, in general, live shorter lives than their slow-growing relatives.
In order to see whether the growth-lifespan trade-off (生长和寿命之间的权衡) is a universal phenomenon, Brienen and his colleagues analyzed over 210,000 individual tree ring records of 110 tree species from more than 70,000 sites worldwide. “By measuring tree rings’ widths one can tell how fast trees grew, while counting rings provides information on tree ages and allows making inferences about trees’ maximum lifespan,” Brienen explained.
They found that, in almost all habitats and all sites, faster-growing tree species died younger than slow-growing species, and even within a species, the trade-off between growth and lifespan held strong.
The team also created a computer program that modelled a forest and adjusted the growth of the trees in this model. Early on, it showed that “the forest could hold more carbon as the trees grew faster”, Brienen reported. But after 20 years, these trees started dying and losing this extra carbon again. “We must understand that the only solution to bring down CO2 levels is to stop emitting (排放) it into the atmosphere,” said Brienen.
1. After trees decay, they ______.| A．take in more CO2 | B．become fossil fuels soon |
| C．let out CO2 back into the air | D．continue fighting against climate change |
| A．curb climate change | B．burn fossil fuels |
| C．plant fast-growing trees | D．water the trees frequently |
| A．To count the trees’ age. | B．To infer the trees’ lifespan. |
| C．To learn about the trees’ habitats. | D．To know the trees’ growth speed. |
| A．It is no use planting fast-growing trees. |
| B．Reducing CO2 emission is a better way to curb climate change. |
| C．It is important to protect the environment. |
| D．Planting is an effective method of dealing with climate change. |
In the past 500 million years, there have been five mass extinction events on Earth. In the third event,
6 . In my everyday life, I am on an ongoing journey to figure out different ways to reduce my carbon footprint on the planet. A carbon footprint is the measure of influence our activities have on the environment, in particular climate change. It is calculated by the amount of greenhouse gas we produce in our daily lives. Fortunately, nowadays it is much easier to make eco-friendly lifestyle choices than, let’s say, 20 years ago. But one question has been on my mind a lot lately: is it better to buy new eco-friendly products or used traditionally produced goods?
After doing some research, I have decided that some things are better new and others are better used. Let me try to explain.
A carbon footprint is made up of two parts, the primary footprint and the secondary footprint. The primary footprint is a measure of our direct emissions(排放)of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the burning of fuels, including household energy consumption and transportation. The secondary footprint is a measure of the indirect CO2 emissions from the whole life cycle of products we use-those related to their production and breakdown.
Based on this understanding, we have a good deal of control and responsibility over our carbon footprint. Things like dishes, clothes and furniture fall into the “secondary footprint” group, so less is more and we can focus on finding used goods to avoid the added production. However, for the car and the other appliances(设备) that we need we can go with new, energy-saving models. I heard somewhere that electronics and appliances give off 90% of their carbon footprint after they leave the factory. So it seems most reasonable to go for the energy-saving models. The main concern here is the amount of energy that goes into the making of new products and whether or not that extra carbon is worth the footprint the product will make once it gets to you.
1. What is the text mainly about?| A．How to make eco-friendly lifestyle choices. |
| B．What a carbon footprint means in our life. |
| C．How to identify different carbon footprints. |
| D．What appliances to buy to save energy. |
| A．It is related to our consumption of fuels. |
| B．It is counted as ours though not directly made by us. |
| C．It is less harmful than the primary carbon footprint. |
| D．It is made when we are buying the products. |
| A．Buying new but cheap clothes. |
| B．Using old and expensive cars. |
| C．Using second-hand textbooks. |
| D．Buying new wooden furniture. |
7 . A Dutch city will become the first in the world to ban meat advertisements from public spaces in an effort to reduce consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.The ban also covers holiday flights, fossil fuels and cars that run on fossil fuels.The ban is delayed until 2024 due to existing contracts with companies that sell the products.
Haarlem, which lies to the west of Amsterdam and has a population of about 160,000,will bring the ban into effect from 2024 after meat was added to a list of products deemed to contribute to the climate crisis. Advertisements will not be allowed on Haarlem’s buses, shelters and screens in public spaces, prompting complaints from the meat sector that the government is “going too far in telling people what’s best for them”.
Recent studies suggest global food production is responsible for one-third of all planet-heating emissions,with the use of animals for meat accounting for twice the pollution of producing plant-based foods. Forests that absorb carbon dioxide are cut down for the food of animals while fertilisers used for growing their feed are rich in nitrogen(氮)，which can contribute to air pollution，water pollution and climate change. Livestock also produces large quantities of methane(甲烷)，a powerful greenhouse gas.
Zlggy Klazes,a councillor from the GroenLinks party, said she had not known the city would be the world’s first to enforce such a policy when she proposed it. She told the Haarlem105 radio channel:“We are not about what people are baking and roasting in their own kitchen;if people want to continue eating meat, it’s fine. We can’t tell people there’s a climate crisis and meanwhile,encourage them to buy products that are part of the cause. Of course, there are a lot of people who find the decision shocking and unreasonable,but there are also a lot of people who think it’s fine.”
1. What does the meat sector think of the ban?| A．Disapproving. |
| B．Neutral. |
| C．Indifferent. |
| D．Positive. |
| A．Nitrogen is harmful to the environment. |
| B．Methane mainly comes from livestock. |
| C．Meat consumption causes more pollution. |
| D．People cut down trees for human habitation. |
| A．She is the first to ban meat advertisement. |
| B．She is in favor of banning meat advertising. |
| C．She emphasizes the advantage of eating meat. |
| D．She cares about what people cook in the kitchen |
| A．Fossil fuels are banned in Dutch city. |
| B．Dutch city decreases meat production. |
| C．Dutch city bans meat advertisements in public. |
| D．Greenhouse gas emissions are limited in Dutch city. |
Climate Change Requires The World’s Attention
There is little doubt that Earth
Climate scientists often mention a key climate process
There is strong and comprehensive evidence that the rise in temperature has led to an increase in extreme weather and
Governments need to consider making policies and taking appropriate actions and measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We as individuals can also reduce our “carbon footprint”. It is our
9 . Rainforests provide much of the world’s oxygen. People have been trying to protect them for years. But another type of forest, the cloud forest, is just as important to humans.
These forests are at the tops of mountains, generally near the equator(赤道). These wet, wooded mountaintops are mainly in African and Central and South American countries. They are called “cloud forests” because their height allows for the formation of clouds among the trees. The trees in these forests pull water out of the clouds. The water gathers on the leaves and falls into small rivers below, which flow into towns at the bottom of the mountain. The yearly rainfall in these areas is about 180 centimetres. Cloud forests can pull in up to 60 percent of that. The water is important to the plants and the people in the area. It helps them survive.
These forests are being destroyed at an increasing speed. Trees are being cut down, and roads are being built in their place. Some people have a goal to get government money to protect the forests. But they have had little success so far. Another way is to take the place of the destroyed plants with new ones. That, too, has been difficult because the plants are so special. There’s plenty of work to be done, but saving the cloud forests is still possible with creative solutions.
1. Where can you probably find cloud forests?| A．In North America. | B．Far from the equator. |
| C．In an African country. | D．At the foot of mountains. |
| A．About 60 cm. | B．About 108 cm. |
| C．About 180 cm. | D．About 300 cm. |
| A．Ways to protect cloud forests. | B．Goals of cloud forest protectors. |
| C．Difficulties in planting new trees. | D．Successes of getting wide support. |
| A．In a storybook. | B．In a travel guide. |
| C．In a chemistry textbook. | D．In a geography magazine. |
10 . Going on holiday doesn’t have to be bad for the environment, and there are still plenty of ways you can have a much-deserved break without harming the environment.
Forget planes. While most forms of transport produce carbon dioxide, planes have a massive carbon footprint because of the huge number of miles they travel.
Pack with care.
Buy gifts responsibly.Bringing back gifts for friends and loved ones is part of the fun of a holiday.
| A．Think about green accommodation. |
| B．Consider living in an eco-friendly hotel. |
| C．But make sure you choose items carefully. |
| D．Take brand-name beauty and bath products with you. |
| E．It’s also acceptable to live in a hotel using new energy. |
| F．So why not skip flying in favor of a holiday closer to home? |
| G．So why do planes consume so much fuel compared with other transport? |
