Mount Wutai, located in the northeastern part of Shanxi province, is 230 kilometers away from the provincial capital city Taiyuan. It was named after five peaks that resemble five giant columns (柱子)
Mount Wutai is a
Wutai Mountain displays its outstanding
2 . The immense and forbidding Southern Ocean is famous for howling winds and strange waves that have tested mariners for centuries.
But its true strength lies beneath the waves.
The ocean’s dominant feature, extending up to two miles deep and as much as 1.200 miles wide, is the Antarctic Circumpolar (极地附近的) Current, by far the largest current in the world.
It is the world’s climate engine, and it has kept the world from warming even more by drawing deep water from the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, much of which has been in the deep ocean for hundreds of years, and pulling it to the surface. There, it exchanges heat and carbon dioxide with the atmosphere before being pushed again on its endless round trip.
Without this action, which scientists call upwelling, the world would be even hotter than it has become as a result of human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases. “From no perspective is there any place more important than the Southern Ocean,” said Joellen L. Russell, an oceanographer at the University of Arizona. “There’s nothing like it on Planet Earth.”
For centuries this ocean was largely unknown, and its conditions were so extreme that only a relative handful of sailors went to its waters with lots of icebergs.
What fragmentary scientific knowledge was available came from measurements taken by explorers, naval ships, the occasional research expeditions or whaling ships.
But more recently, a new generation of floating, autonomous probes (探测仪) that can collect temperature, density and other data for years—diving deep underwater, and even exploring beneath the Antarctic sea ice, before rising to the surface to phone home—has enabled scientists to learn much more. They have discovered that global warming is affecting the Antarctic current in complex ways, and these shifts could complicate the ability to fight climate change in the future.
1. Why does the true strength lie beneath the waves in the Southern Ocean?| A．There is the deepest current in the world. |
| B．There is the world’s largest current. |
| C．There is severe cold climate in the South Pole. |
| D．There are the strongest winds and strangest waves. |
| A．By pushing severe cold water to the other oceans. |
| B．By cooling the warmer water from the other oceans. |
| C．By drawing cold water from other oceans and pulling it to the surface. |
| D．By keeping cold water in the other oceans for hundreds of years. |
| A．Advanced. | B．Abstract. | C．Incomplete. | D．Concrete. |
| A．The current there is in normal condition despite global warming. |
| B．The current there is under the complicated influence of global warming. |
| C．The autonomous probes have found solutions to global warming. |
| D．Nothing can be done for global warming due to severe cold climate. |
3 . Despite being one of the most famous and frequented attractions in the United States,
We don’t really know how old it is
It has long been believed that the Colorado River began carving the Grand Canyon about 6 million years ago,
Of all Grand Canyon facts, this one is pretty cool—no word-play intended. Sudden changes in altitude have an enormous impact on temperature and rainfall, so the weather you are experiencing could differ dramatically, depending on where you are in the Grand Canyon. The coldest, wettest weather station in the region is the Bright Angel Ranger Station on the North Rim, while the hottest (and one of the driest) is just 8 miles away at Phantom Ranch.
There are lots of fossils in the area
While the dinosaur might have missed out on seeing the Grand Canyon, lots of other fossils have been found.
Fish are relatively uncommon in the area
Prior to modern flood control measures, the Colorado River provided a uniquely difficult habitat for fish, with heavy mud with small rocks, frequent floods, and temperatures ranging from extreme heat in summer to sub-freezing in winter. Consequently, only eight fish species are native to the Grand Canyon,
| A．but a 2012 study contained a real shocker |
| B．and many other species are found outside this area. |
| C．and six of them are found nowhere outside of the Colorado River. |
| D．The weather in the Grand Canyon is really cool. |
| E．This indicates that other creatures frequented the location. |
| F．The Grand Canyon creates its own weather. |
| G．Grand Canyon National Park still holds some surprises. |
4 . Suppose there are some coins on the table in front of you. If the number is small, you can tell right away exactly how many there are. You don’t even have to count them — a single glance is enough. Cichlids and stingrays, two kinds of fish, are astonishingly similar to us in this respect: they can detect small quantities precisely — and presumably without counting. For example, they can be trained to reliably distinguish quantities of three from quantities of four.
But how do you ask a cichlid for the result of “2+1” or “5-1”? The researchers showed the fish a collection of geometric shapes — for example, four squares. If these objects were colored blue, this meant “add one” for the following discrimination. Yellow, on the other hand, meant “subtract one.”
After showing the original stimulus (刺激物) (e.g. four squares), the animals were shown two new pictures — one with five and one with three squares. If they swam to the correct picture (i.e. to the five squares in the “blue” arithmetic task), they were rewarded with food. If they gave the wrong answer, they went away empty-handed. Over time, they learned to associate the blue color with an increase of one in the amount shown at the beginning, and the yellow number with a decrease.
“We deliberately left out some calculations during training,” Schluessel explains. “Namely, 3+1 and 3-1.” After the learning phase, the animals got to see these two tasks for the first time. But even in those tests, they significantly often chose the correct answer.” This was true even when they had to decide between choosing four or five objects after being shown a blue 3 — that is, two outcomes that were both greater than the initial value. In this case, the fish chose four over five, indicating they had not learned the rule “chose the largest (or smallest) amount presented” but the rule “always add or subtract one”.
1. How did the researchers tell the fish what to do?| A．They used different colors to represent different calculations. |
| B．They showed different numbers by various shapes. |
| C．They asked the fish for the result after showing geometric shapes. |
| D．They associated geometric shapes with colors. |
| A．They can get food when swimming to the correct picture. |
| B．Blue means “add one,” and yellow means “subtract one”. |
| C．Math plays an important role in one’s life. |
| D．Five squares in the blue means food. |
| A．To prove that the fish finish the task by memorizing numbers. |
| B．To indicate the fish can do complicated tasks. |
| C．To show an important rule the fish had not learned. |
| D．To check whether the fish can apply this knowledge to new tasks. |
| A．Some fish can perform math tasks by memory. |
| B．Cichlids and stingrays have simple math abilities. |
| C．All fish are smarter than we used to think. |
| D．Scientific training is the key to math. |
5 . Warm Mineral Springs Park
Step into the past at the only natural warm spring in Florida! With a consistent average temperature of 85 °F year round, Warm Mineral Springs Park provides visitors with a number of recreation options. The spring is reported to have one of the highest mineral contents of any natural spring in the United States. With highly mineralized properties, internationally known for its healing qualities, the park attracts more than 130,000 visitors annually.
At Warm Mineral Springs Park, you will find a day full of relaxation. A variety of spa services are available to those who book in advance by calling (941) 426-1692. An on-site gift shop offers diverse items and souvenirs for purchase.
Pricing
Tickets are not refundable, cannot be exchanged, and cannot be reissued if lost or stolen. Same day re-entry is permitted. Residents include all of Sarasota County. Proof of residency includes driver’s license, water bill and tax bill. Entry pricing, including sales tax, is as follows:
| Pass | Resident | Non-Resident |
| Adults (ages 18 and above) | $15 | $20 |
| Students (ages 6-17) | $11.25 | $15 |
| Children (ages 5 and younger) | FREE | FREE |
| Annual Pass | $1,125 | $2,000 |
| 10 Visit Pass | $112.50 | $150 |
| 30 Visit Pass | $150 | $200 |
General Rules
To ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all visitors, please respect the following rules:
♦ Children 10 years and younger must stay in the children’s area.
♦Children ages 11-16 must remain in the outer border.
♦You must be 17 years or older to swim in the middle.
♦No toys are allowed in the water.
♦No food or drinks in the water.
♦No visitors may block the entrance or exit ramps (坡道).
♦Devices for the producing or reproducing of sound are prohibited.
For Daily Programming, Contact: (941) 426-1692
Hours of Operation: Monday through Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Open every day, with the exception of December 25.
1. What makes Warm Mineral Springs Park unique in Florida?| A．The natural spring. | B．The recreation options. |
| C．The average temperature. | D．The mineral contents. |
| A．$11.25 | B．$22.50 | C．$15 | D．$30 |
| A．Visitors can purchase souvenirs all year round. |
| B．The entrance or exit ramps aren’t available to visitors. |
| C．Activity zones are separated according to the age of visitors. |
| D．Each visitor to the park can relax himself through spa services. |
6 . It has always been assumed that traffic noise is a problem unique to animals. But a new study by Ghotbi-Ravandi, a botanist at Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran, has revealed that plants suffer too.
Scientists have previously suspected that plants may be able to sense sound waves as they are struck by them. A number of experiments have confirmed this in recent years——plants continuously affected by ultrasound(超声波) in the lab have shown a range of adverse responses including the expression of stress-related genes, abnormal growth and reduced sprouting(发芽) of seeds.
Yet blasting(轰击) plants with ultrasound is not the same as growing them in the presence of actual traffic noise. To this end, Dr Ghotbi-Ravandi decided to set up an experiment to study precisely this question.
Working with a team of colleagues, Dr Ghotbi-Rayandi grew two species in his lab. The plants were grown from seed and allowed to mature for two months in the same space before they were divided into two groups. One group was exposed to 73 decibels(分贝) of traffic noise for16 hours a day. The other group was left to grow in silence. After 15 days had passed, samples were taken from the youngest fully expanded leaves on every plant in the experiment and studied.
None of the plants exposed to the traffic noise did well. Analysis of their leaves revealed that all of them were suffering. The chemical compounds indicating stress in plants were found at much higher levels in the samples exposed to the traffic noise. The team also found that a range of hormones normally associated with healthy growth and development in plants were present at significantly reduced levels in the plants exposed to the noise.
His findings make it clear that, though plants lack ears, the impact generated by the noise of traffic still bothers them enough to trigger strong stress responses. The next question is whether all noise pollution affects all species in the same way.
1. What does the underlined word “adverse” mean in the second paragraph?| A．expected. | B．passive. | C．negative. | D．opposite. |
| A．Their seeds failed to sprout. |
| B．They have high-level hormones. |
| C．They contain more stress-related compounds. |
| D．They barely have expanded leaves. |
| A．reduce noise pollution | B．experiment with other plants |
| C．publish the findings | D．confirm previous assumptions |
| A．Noise Pollution Has to Be Reduced | B．Plant Protection Is Urgently Needed |
| C．Plant Growth Is Prevented by Ultrasound | D．Plants Are Badly Affected by Traffic |
One of the best-preserved fossils (化石) yet discovered has revealed that the young dinosaur used the same technique as baby birds
Since the 1990s scientists
In modern birds such postures are critical for
8 . In the modern era, it may come as a surprise that the fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries, especially when it comes to carbon emissions. However, ever-changing fashion trends persuade consumers into buying new pieces and getting rid of old clothing that’s no longer considered fashionable. With trends moving at breakneck speed, we’re buying more clothes and wearing them for less time.
Sustainable fashion has been on the rise in recent years, but it’s undeniable that sustainable companies like Girfriend Collective, and Organic Basics are out of most people’s price ranges. Instead, fast-fashion companies have the advantage of low prices. So most people tend to choose low prices over sustainability, particularly when they’re not directly dealing with the impacts of clothing pollution. But how can people, buy sustainable clothing when it’s not affordable?
Of course, the best way is not to buy any new clothes. However, saving up to buy higher quality, more sustainable garments and then wearing them for many years are healthier for the environment. A similar resolution is owning some basic garments and a few statement pieces in what’s called a “capsule wardrobe”. We can combine our pieces in different ways to get various new outfits that still feel stylish and don’t generate waste.
Buying secondhand clothing is also a great way to be sustainable at a lower cost. It should be noted that some new websites and apps like Depop and Mercari allow consumers to buy specific items of secondhand clothing. They also offer a wide selection for a price more comparable to physical stores.
There is something else to be concerned with staying stylish and sustainable. With the rise of social media, the pressure to “fit in” has risen, causing people to focus on fashion feeling. But, honestly, wearing what suits us will make us look good, and the earth will acknowledge us, too.
1. Why do consumers tend to buy new clothes?| A．To replace the worn-out ones. | B．To lead a low-carbon life. |
| C．To keep up with fashion trends. | D．To satisfy their inner needs. |
| A．Selecting clothes of lower prices. | B．Purchasing stylish clothes online. |
| C．Putting cost-effective clothes to best use. | D．Choosing favorable clothes in physical stores. |
| A．A place for various statement pieces. |
| B．A variety of essential clothes and stylish items. |
| C．A cupboard of displaying delicately made garments. |
| D．A collection of basic clothes and easily matched pieces. |
| A．Fashion can keep pace with sustainability. |
| B．Fashion trends change at an alarming speed. |
| C．Clothing industry gives rise to carbon emissions. |
| D．Top priority should be given to secondhand clothing. |
9 . Lacking a nose, insects such as butterflies and bees use their antennae (触须) to detect smells. Those smells help them find food and more. What happens, though, when air pollution beats the smells on which these creatures depend? Those insects become less likely to visit a flower. That’s the finding of a new study.
People depend on insects to help the plants to make many of the fruits, nuts and vegetables we eat. Past studies showed urban air pollution might hide the smells insects use to find flowers. For instance, ozone(臭氧), an ingredient in smog, can break down the smells from flowers. Computer models predicted this would cause problems for insects seeking flowers for a meal. But scientists weren’t sure that would happen in real life.
James Ryalls and his team decided to find out if it would. Ryalls is a biologist at the University of Reading in England. Working in a field of black mustard plants, his group created a system made up of rings eight meters in diameter. Each area was open, so nearby insects could fly into it. The researchers pumped pollutant gases into these rings: Two rings received diesel fumes(柴油废气). Two more got ozone. Another two got both gases. A final pair of rings was a control and received no added gases.
The tests took place over two summers. During each field season, the scientists counted how many times insects visited the flowers in each ring. “The results were much more severe than we thought,” Ryalls says. Adding both the diesel fumes and ozone pollution “caused up to 90 percent less insects to be able to find the flowers that they need for food,” he says. This was in comparison to the pollutant-free rings. This surprised the scientists and made them worried about the food resources of humans.
1. What is the finding of the new study?| A．Insects have noses. | B．Insects can feel smells. |
| C．Smells are helpful for insects to get food. | D．Polluted air makes insects hard to find food. |
| A．Part. | B．Shape. | C．Flower. | D．Colour. |
| A．Seven rings had gasses. | B．They lasted two summers. |
| C．They were led by a biologist. | D．They were done on the playground. |
| A．Save Flowers. | B．Poor Insects. |
| C．Tests by Researchers. | D．Environment and Food. |
10 . Throughout history, many species of animals have been threatened with extinction. When Europeans first arrived in North America, more than 60 million buffalo (水牛) lived on the continent. Yet hunting the buffalo was so popular during the 19th century that by 1900 the animal’s population had fallen to about 400 before the government stepped in to protect the species. In some countries today, the elephant faces a similar challenge, as illegal hunters kill the animals for the ivory in their tusks.
Yet not all animals with commercial value face this threat (威胁).The cow, for example, is a valuable source of food, but no one worries that the cow will soon be extinct. Why does the commercial value of ivory threaten the elephant. while the commercial value of beef protects the cow?
The reason is that elephants are a common resource, while cows are private goods. Elephants wander freely without any owners. The hunter has a strong motivation to kill as many elephants as he can find. Because illegal hunters are numerous, each has only a slight motivation to preserve the elephant population. By contrast, cattle live on farms that are privately owned. Each farmer makes great effort to maintain the cattle population on his farm because he harvests the benefit of these efforts.
Governments have tried to solve the elephant’s problem in two ways. Some countries, such as Kenya and Uganda, have made it illegal to kill elephants and sell their ivory. Yet these laws have been hard to put into effect, and elephant populations have continued to dwindle. By contrast, other countries, such as Malawi and Namibia, have made elephants private goods and allowed people to kill elephants, but only those on their own property.
With private ownership and the profit motive now on its side, the African elephant might someday be as safe from extinction as the cow. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle pointed out the problem with common resources: “What is common to many is taken least care of, for all men have greater regard for what is their own than for what they possess in common with others.”
1. Why does the author mention buffalo in paragraph 1?| A．To introduce a similar threat to elephants. |
| B．To provide an example of species extinction. |
| C．To offer an explanation for government policies. |
| D．To present the statistics of the buffalo in America. |
| A．They are under different law protection |
| B．They attract different groups of hunters |
| C．They contain different commercial value |
| D．They represent different ownership types |
| A．Bans on killing elephants for ivory |
| B．Effective laws for elephant protection. |
| C．Methods of making elephants private goods |
| D．Government policies on the elephant’s problem |
| A．People hold little regard for others’ property |
| B．People want to profit from common resources |
| C．People care more about their own possession |
| D．People tend to take what they own for granted |
