1 . There are two ways to forget about troubles in life: music and cats.
At the Hey Cat Cafe in Wuhan, Hubei Province, you can have both. About 30 furry creatures, each wearing a red burp cloth with its name on it, welcome and “serve” the guests. The “employees” are all stray (流浪的) black cats, most of whom were rescued by caring people after being abandoned by their owners.
Opened in September 2021, the cafe is one of the first nonprofit cat cafes in China. Manager Du Fan told China Daily that all the profits are used to help homeless animals.
The 41-year-old said he opened the black cat cafe to dispel (消除) the myth that such cats are “inauspicious”, as described in some movies and TV dramas. Over the past 17 years, a lot of people have come to Du to adopt cats, but many said they didn’t want black cats. “Actually, in traditional Chinese culture, black cats can drive away evil spirits and bring luck. They should be mascots (吉祥物),” he said. So are black cats as reserved and mysterious as folk tales suggest? Well, perhaps not.
Hearing two young women open the door, six or so passionate “cafe workers” waited and greeted them. When the visitors sat down, one cat rubbed against the bottom of one woman’s pants, while another climbed onto her knee. Some of the cats simply fell asleep against the guests’ legs.
While these cats are rescued, they also help people with developmental or social anxiety disorders learn to open their hearts. “Cats possess certain qualities that humans don’t have,” Du added. “Many people with psychological problems can find comfort in cats.”
1. How do the cats “serve” guests at the Hey Cat Cafe?| A．They can bring coffee to customers. |
| B．They can really serve the guests. |
| C．They can help reduce people’s anxiety. |
| D．They can wear a red burp cloth. |
| A．Loving and charitable. | B．Cat-addicted and strange. |
| C．Creative and modest. | D．Moody and generous. |
| A．Stupid. | B．Lovely. | C．Unlucky. | D．Lazy. |
| A．To make an introduction to a cat cafe. |
| B．To call on people to protect homeless animals. |
| C．To inform people that black cats can be mascots. |
| D．To introduce what people can do with homeless cats. |
2 . Wildfires, when allowed to burn in areas without human development, can contribute to the restoration of the surrounding watershed(集水区), renewal of the soil, and resetting the clock for the ecosystem.
Many forests cannot sustain themselves without natural wildfire, including pine barrens, lodgepole pine forests and many more. These forests require canopy fires, which primarily affect the upper layer of plants in a forest, to reproduce because the trees in the forest are adapted to only produce seeds following a major fire event. Hence, fires can be restorative for the forest, and without them many of these forest types would decline on the landscape. How is a fire restorative for the watershed? It restores in many ways including, but not limited to, improving water quality, offering habitat for insects that serve as food for fish, promoting the growth of fire adapted plants, etc... Not to mention renewal of the soil chemistry which is vital to the forest and the watershed.(My attitude is that of someone who has studied wildfire and streams since the disastrous 1988 Yellowstone wildfires.) The science backs up how natural wildfire can be favorable through research publication after publication.
It’s like “resetting the clock” on the ecosystem, allowing it to smoothly all over again for another 200 years. By the way, a canopy fire such as Yellowstone in 1988 also results in the reproduction of younger trees after fire which act to stop the spread and progress of a potentially destructive wildfire immediately. Without it, future wildfires are very likely to become bigger and bigger.
The bottom line is that we may need today’s natural wildfires on our forested landscape to prevent more serious fire events in the future. That lesson was learned in 1988 Yellowstone wildfires which was a year of disastrous large-scale fires despite more than 50 years of thorough and tight fire monitoring.
1. What does the underlined word “them” in Paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Seeds. | B．Wildfires. | C．Trees. | D．Ecosystems. |
| A．Making wildfires easier to be spotted. | B．Reducing occurring rates of wildfires. |
| C．Stopping a major wildfire in its tracks. | D．Preventing potential wildfires completely. |
| A．We should accept wildlife on its own terms. | B．Fire monitoring in Yellowstone was successful. |
| C．Natural fires may reduce the risk of larger ones. | D．Serious wildfires are caused by human activities. |
| A．The beneficial effects of wildfires. | B．Impacts of wildfires on development. |
| C．The necessity of watershed preservation. | D．Measures to prevent large-scale wildfires. |
1. What is the talk mainly about?
| A．What to do to protect animals. |
| B．Whether to keep animals in zoos. |
| C．How to improve zoos’ environment. |
| A．Allowing wild animals to be killed. |
| B．Protecting animals in a well-founded area. |
| C．Teaching people more about wild animals. |
| A．They do harm to animals. |
| B．They are poorly founded. |
| C．They can give animals protection. |
| A．A scientist. | B．A teacher. | C．A zookeeper. |
4 . A “fierce queen” named “128 Grazer” has been crowned the fattest bear of all of Katmai National Park in Alaska. Grazer, a mama bear to two litters of cubs(幼兽), has been a fixture(固定成员) of the park since 2005.
This is Grazer’s first time winning the contest, an achievement made easier by the fact that she has released her cubs and was able to focus on self-care. When females are caring for cubs, they are often nursing them, helping them hunt for salmon(三文鱼) and providing them protection — all of which detracts from the females’ ability to eat as much as possible, said Felicia Jimenez, a ranger at Katmai National Park.
The brown bears living along Alaska’s Brooks River have spent the summer fattening up on salmon, berries and grasses in preparation for their annual winter hibernation(冬眠). The bears enter hibernation around November and eventually experience a one-third loss of their body weight through the winter season, according to park officials.
The fixed competition has been making the fattest brown bears at Katmai National Park compete against each other since 2014. When the contest first began, it consisted of just a single day in which a few of the park’s most enormous bears competed with each other. By the next year, the contest had transformed into a “globally recognized” event that required more days and more competitors.
The popularity of Fat Bear Week allows park officials to direct attention to conservation efforts in the region, especially for the salmon run on the Brooks River, which the bears rely on for food. The health of the brown bears signifies the overall health of the local ecosystem, according to the park. “Without the ecosystem protected, there would be no Fat Bear Week,” Jimenez said.
1. What contributed most to Grazer’s winning the contest?| A．Hunting for enough salmon. | B．Giving birth to her cubs. |
| C．Concentrating on caring for herself. | D．Being a fixture in the park. |
| A．Removes. | B．Weakens. | C．Strengthens. | D．Changes. |
| A．The process of bears’ hibernation. | B．The reason for bears’ fattening up. |
| C．The time of bears’ hibernation. | D．The way of bears’ fattening up. |
| A．To choose the fattest bear globally. | B．To shoot the movie regarding bears. |
| C．To draw attention to environment care. | D．To highlight the efforts to protect ecosystem . |
5 . In a lab in London, newborn chicks took the first steps of their life and might become part of solving one of the brain’s big puzzles. Elisabetta Versace, the lead author of the new study and head of the Prepared Minds Lab at Queen Mary, and her co-workers published their findings on Tuesday in Biology Letters.
In a simple test, researchers placed the downy animals, hatched after less than a day in complete darkness, one at a time into a special box. Two screens on the opposite sides of the box played videos of moving orange balls, one moving upward and the other downward. Over the course of 20 minutes, most of the chicks hesitantly walked over to the end of the box with the upward-moving ball.
Biologists call the mechanisms (生物机制) that assist animals in their earliest moments “evolutionary predispositions (进化倾向)” or “priors”. “Studying how predisposition s work in humans is difficult,” says Elisa Raffalla Ferre, co-author of the new study, as babies take time to develop complex skills. By the time human babies can easily move, they have already spent significant time learning. Chicks, however, can perform relatively complex actions very soon after hatching, which makes them ideal candidates for exploring how predispositions function.
Why this preference for objects that move against gravity exists at all remains unclear. “Going against gravity in a consistent way is associated with animate objects in the ecological world,” Versace says, “because usually you see that water flows down or a rock falls down.” Lifeless objects, on the other hand, are unlikely to move consistently against gravity.
The newly released article is consistent with previous research, according to Orsola Rosa Salva, a comparative psychologist at the University of Trento. What Salva wants to see next in this field are experiments that begin to identify what areas of the brain are active when predispositions are launched, so scientists can better understand how the mechanisms work. Versace hopes that future research can offer insights into the way the brain is organized to make sense of the world.
1. What did the test find out about newborn chicks?| A．They liked bright colors. | B．They had a poor sense of direction. |
| C．They preferred rising objects. | D．They picked up first steps with difficulty. |
| A．Their mechanisms are more complex. |
| B．They were already studied more in the past. |
| C．Their evolutionary predispositions work more effectively. |
| D．They can exhibit complex behaviors soon after birth. |
| A．It is common among species in nature. | B．It is a natural behavior of living animals. |
| C．It contributes to the survival of animals. | D．It helps newborn animals to learn quickly. |
| A．They’ll be carried out in the wild. | B．They’ll offer detailed workings of the brain. |
| C．They’ll compare the brains of different species. | D．They’ll apply to scientific research in related fields. |
6 . The specific cultural values of a country may determine whether concern about environmental issues actually leads individuals to engage in environmentally friendly behaviors, according to research published in Psychological Science.
Kimin Eom, a psychological scientist of the University of California, Santa Barbara, was inspired to investigate the links between culture, environmental concern, and environmental action after noticing that both public discussion and academic research on environmental behavior typically focus on people from Western countries. It is worth noticing because Western countries tend to have cultural values that prioritize individuals’ own attitudes and beliefs and encourage expression of them.
“The theory seemed to be that once individuals are led to believe in the urgency of environmental issues and have stronger concerns about sustainability (持续性), they will change and act to address the issues,” explains Eom. But this relationship might not hold for individuals living in more collectivistic (集体主义的) societies, which place more emphasis on social harmony and uniformity than on self-expression, Eom and his team assumed.
To examine what drives environmental action in individualistic and collectivistic cultures, the researchers conducted a study with participants from the United States (an individualistic culture) and Japan (a collectivistic culture). They found environmental concern was closely connected with environmental behavior — in this case, choosing environmentally friendly products — but only among American participants. On the other hand, believing that a large percentage of people engage in environmentally friendly behaviors was associated with making eco-friendly choices among Japanese participants, but not American participants.
The findings suggest that personal concerns are more likely to motivate people to take environmental action if they live in individualistic countries, while social norms (准则) are more likely to drive people to engage in environmentally friendly behavior if they live in collectivistic countries.
“Getting citizens actively engaged is critical to addressing urgent social challenges, such as climate change,” says Eom. “Our research suggests that scientists, policymakers, and activists need to understand how culture shapes the psychological factors of action to develop policies, campaigns, and interventions (干预) that address important social issues.”
1. What does Eom find about previous research on environmental behavior?| A．Its study participants are too limited. |
| B．Its results need a while to be achieved. |
| C．It prioritizes individuals’ attitudes and beliefs. |
| D．It draws much evidence from public discussion. |
| A．If he sees many others do so. |
| B．If he is affected by collectivistic values. |
| C．If he moves to an individualistic country. |
| D．If he worries about the environment personally. |
| A．It fails to take participants’ psychological factors into account. |
| B．It encourages scientists and policymakers to make joint efforts. |
| C．It has a further study direction towards urgent social challenges. |
| D．It provides insights into promoting public engagement in social issues. |
| A．Social Norms Play a Part in Addressing Pollution |
| B．Environmental Issues Originate from National Cultures |
| C．Motivating Eco-Friendly Behaviors Depends on Cultural Values |
| D．More Environmental Concerns Usually Mean More Green Action |
The green grass and bar e rock of Macquarie Island’s landscape contrast dramatically, giving it a wild and natural beauty.
But the island’s more recent history tells
Meanwhile, rabbits were introduced to the island
In 2014, Macquarie Island was declared pest-free and the island’s eco logy is finally on the road to
8 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式，并将答案填写在答题卡上。
The Silk Road,
While the name “Silk Road” originates from the
In 2013, China began to
9 . Pet parents — cats and dogs under 20 pounds — can travel on Capitol Corridor for $30 one-way! If your furry family member fits the bill, take them on your next adventure. Check out the information below and how to book your next trip. Our check-in process is simple, making traveling with your four-legged friend easy and enjoyable.
What to Know
As you plan your next train trip with your pet, note that we welcome a maximum (最大) of 6pets per train. Booking needs to happen in advance and only one pet reservation is allowed per customer. Pets cannot be booked with multi-ride tickets, bus connections or unaccompanied minors (未成年人).
When at the station, your pet must always travel in a carrier, which counts as one piece of carry-on baggage, and the combined weight of your pet and carrier is 20 pounds. While aboard trains, it must be able to sit, lie down and remain entirely inside without touching the sides of the carrier. It is not permitted in the Café, or Quiet Cars.
How to Book
Select your trip on the booking machine.
Add your travel details and proceed until you see the option to customize (定制) your trip.
Add a pet to your booking for $30.
Contact 800-USA-RAIL if you need to change your reservation.
The Rules
Your pet must be at least eight weeks old and be unsmelly, harmless, not disruptive, and require no attention during travel.
You confirm that your pet is up to date on all vaccinations and accept responsibility for your pet by signing the pet release document at check-in.
1. How much does a pet owner have to pay for the pet for a round-trip?| A．$15. | B．$30. | C．$45. | D．$60. |
| A．Book ahead of schedule. | B．Take a carrier weighing 20 pounds. |
| C．Buy a multi-ride ticket. | D．Contact 800-USA-RAIL first. |
| A．Eat in the Café. | B．Sleep in Quiet Cars. |
| C．Travel in a carrier. | D．Lie behind the door. |
10 . Many green plants that are used to decorate living rooms and kitchens are marketed as air-purifying. However, scientists largely agree that plants can’t do very much to clean an entire room. Now, a Parisian company known as Neoplants is trying to change that by growing genetically modified (转基因的) plants that help remove harmful chemicals from the air.
Its first product, called the Neo P1, is a bioengineered version of the pothos (绿萝). Pothos is characterized by its green leaves and is relatively easy to care for. The Neo P1 is meant to capture and recycle dangerous air pollutants commonly found in homes called volatile organic compounds (挥发性有机化合物VOCs), which are often human-made chemicals. So it’s a popular choice for people looking to beautify their living spaces. But the Neo P1 starts at $179, and to purchase one, potential shoppers must first join a waitlist.
The idea of air-purifying plants came from a 1989 study by NASA, in which regular houseplants were tested in two-by-two-foot rooms. When scientists filled these rooms with VOCs, they found the plants could absorb some of the harmful compounds. “Actually, it’d take about ten houseplants per square foot to noticeably improve air quality,” Michael Waring, an environmental engineer at Drexel University who wasn’t involved with Neoplants, reported in a 2019 study. “Plants, though they do remove VOCs, remove them at such a slow rate that they can’t compete with the air exchange mechanisms already happening in buildings,” Waring said.
As for Neoplants, its Neo Pl was tested in a 35-liter glass room. In it, the Neo P1’s results were 30 times better than NASA’s, according to the company — which means it’d still take a large number of them to clean a room. Currently, the company’s engineers are designing testing sites that more accurately resemble living spaces. To Neoplants’ executives, cleaning the air inside a home is a more logical starting point than trying to filter (过滤) the entire atmosphere.
1. What might prevent the Neo P1 from becoming popular?| A．Its poor quality. | B．Its unstable security. |
| C．Its high maintenance (维护，保养). | D．Its difficult availability. |
| A．Plants can significantly improve air quality in a room. |
| B．Plants contribute little to removing harmful chemicals. |
| C．The Neo P1 plays a big role in removing harmful compounds. |
| D．Houseplants are expected to replace air exchange mechanisms. |
| A．Exploring new ways to genetically modify plants. |
| B．Proving the Neo P1’s effectiveness in a living room. |
| C．Improving the air exchange mechanisms in buildings. |
| D．Designing testing sites that are similar to living spaces. |
| A．How do plants reduce air pollution? | B．What is the best plant to help clean the air? |
| C．Could genetically modified plants clean the air? | D．How can we decorate living rooms with plants? |
