1. What is mainly talked about in the programme?
| A．How to purchase healthy goldfish. |
| B．How to keep goldfish scientifically. |
| C．How to choose goldfish containers. |
| A．Feed them as much as possible. |
| B．Complete water changes are need. |
| C．Decorate the tank with smooth objects. |
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. |
1. Where might be the two speakers?
| A．At home. | B．At school. | C．In a store. |
| A．She lost her umbrella. |
| B．Her new sweater is ruined. |
| C．The weather is out of her expectation. |
| A．Wearing only old sweaters. |
| B．Checking the weather report. |
| C．Carrying an umbrella every day. |
| A．Send the girl to her home. |
| B．Borrow the girl his umbrella. |
| C．Accompany the girl to the store. |
3 . Electric vehicles(EVs) are widely considered a strong weapon in efforts against global warming. But are they like what people believe? The Radiant Energy Group(REG) stated effects of EVs vary with countries. In some nations, EVs lead to the release of more carbon gases than gasoline cars. The group reckoned gas emissions(排放) caused by a gasoline vehicle and from charging an EV. Countries where charging an EV is cleaner than driving a gasoline-powered car use a lot of nuclear or solar power.
Sales of electric cars are rising the fastest in Europe. Data from REG suggests EVs in Poland actually create more carbon emissions because their electrical systems depend so much on coal. In other European countries, however, EVs result in fewer emissions. The countries with the biggest carbon gas reduction use much clean power. The first was Switzerland at 100 percent carbon reductions over gasoline vehicles.
Germany and Spain create lots of electricity from the sun and wind. But the sun and wind don’t add to a country’s electrical system equally throughout the day. For this reason, carbon emissions saved by driving an EV aren’t fixed. Charging in the afternoon, when there’s more sun and wind, saves 16 to 18 percent more carbon than at night when electrical systems are more likely to be using gas or coal.
The gap in emissions between electric and gasoline-powered vehicles has narrowed in recent years. In Europe, carmakers have been required to meet EU CO₂ emissions of performance standards. They’ve made their gasoline engines more fuel-efficient. As a result, carbon emissions of new gasoline-powered cars in Europe have fallen an average of 25 percent in the past years. But EV sales in Europe are backed by government spending and rules against new gasoline engine cars after 2035. Major automakers have set targets to sell mainly EVs in Europe in the coming years.
1. What does the underlined word “reckoned” mean in paragraph 1?| A．Reduced. | B．Calculated. |
| C．Banned. | D．Predicted. |
| A．The country where they’re made. | B．Facilities producing clean power. |
| C．The time they are being charged. | D．Technology used by electrical systems. |
| A．Support of official policies. | B．Concern about global warming. |
| C．Standards of gasoline car. | D．Advertisements from carmakers. |
| A．What Benefits Do EVs Bring? |
| B．Will EVs Replace Gasoline Cars in Europe? |
| C．How Do EVs Affect Carbon Emissions? |
| D．Do Electric Cars Really Help the Environment? |
4 . Lake Baikal, the biggest body of fresh water on Earth near Russia’s border with Mongolia, is home to several unusual animals, including the world’s only species of freshwater seal.
Seals exist in large quantities in Baikal, about 100,000 of them, though the lake is poor in nutrition.
Most seals eat fish. And Baikal seals do, indeed, have needle-pointed teeth. But in 1982 researchers noted that they develop a second sort of specialized tooth behind those canines. They have sharp teeth which look like combs.
Seals arrived in Baikal 2 m years ago, from the Arctic Ocean. So too did some much smaller sea creatures, known as amphipods. These have grown into more than 340 species.
Records showed that the seals would dive in with their mouths open and collect amphipod groups that form at night. Dr Watanabe estimates that each seal catch an average of 57 amphipods per dive.
| A．The needlelike canines are necessary |
| B．So how they do so well has been a puzzle |
| C．This has led to their numbers increasing sharply |
| D．At the time, nobody knew what to make of them |
| E．He therefore used waterproof cameras to observe a few seals |
| F．Cameras remained attached to some seals for between two and four days |
| G．Sea mammals the size of seals would normally see amphipods as too small to hunt |
5 . Birds can serve as indicator species that help us understand how healthy an ecosystem is. Below are some tips especially helpful to reduce bird deaths and support our feathered friends in daily life.
Keep your cat indoors
Aside from habitat loss, the next biggest cause of direct death for birds is outdoor cats. We have seen people create enclosed patios, so their cats can get outside time without posing a risk to birds. If you want to take your cat out, you can also try using cat leads or cat backpacks to keep them close.
Make your windows more visible to birds
Window collisions kill up to a billion birds every year in the U.S.. A lot of people think that those collisions are occurring at the upper levels of high-rise buildings, but actually most of the collisions are occurring at the lower levels of these high-rise buildings. To make your windows more visible to birds, you can try putting up window film with dots (or lines) or adding a window screen or some kind of netting.
Turn off lights you’re not using
Many birds migrate at night. And as they go, they’re attracted by light. Lights will draw birds close to buildings, and sometimes, they collide. Bird collisions also happen during the daytime, because birds can’t see glass. So one of the things that you can help with, especially during migration, is to turn off any lights that are not used.
We’d love to hear from you. If you have a good lifehack, leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823 or email us at LifeKit@npr.org. Your tip could appear in an upcoming episode. The broadcast portion of this story was produced by Sylvie Douglis. It was hosted and reported by Audrey Nguyen.
1. From the passage, which of the following is the leading cause of direct death for birds?| A．Outdoor cats. | B．Collisions on buildings. |
| C．Harsh light. | D．Habitat loss. |
| A．Keep our cats close to birds. |
| B．Clean our windows thoroughly. |
| C．Construct no more high buildings. |
| D．Turn on lights only when necessary. |
| A．A radio program. |
| B．A biology textbook. |
| C．A science report. |
| D．A tourist brochure. |
6 . Scientists in Israel have taught goldfish an unusual way to reach a target — by driving a small robotic car on dry land.
Six goldfish, regardless of their weight and size, took part in the experiment and were taught to drive in 30-minute sessions, conducted three times a week, every two days. The experiment was led by researchers at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. They wanted to see if goldfish’s ability to navigate depends on their natural environment, or if they could navigate even under very unusual conditions.
To test the goldfish, the researchers created a special robotic car that could drive forward, backward, and from side to side. The scientists called the car a Fish Operated Vehicle (FOV).
Goldfish was placed inside a water tank on the FOV. Using a special system, the car tracked where the goldfish was and what direction it was swimming in. The FOV would then automatically move in the same direction. To prevent the goldfish from getting stuck in barriers such as walls, researchers equipped the car with lidar. The researchers tested them by placing the car in a small room with a pink target on one side — that was where the fish were supposed to arrive. The fish were rewarded with food when achieving the task.
The fish did indeed learn to drive the FOV, becoming more skillful in its operation overtime both in terms of achieving tasks and in the time taken to complete that task. The researchers wanted to check that the fish weren’t just memorizing a set of movements to earn a reward, so they repeated some tests with a new starting position or added other targets that were a different color. They found the goldfish were able to deal with those changes.
Though the experiment showed that the fish were able to navigate to a target, it’s not likely that the fish knew they were controlling a car. The researchers say that in the future it may be possible to change the FOV to test these ideas.
1. What did the researchers do before testing the goldfish?| A．They fed them. | B．They numbered them. |
| C．They trained them. | D．They weighed them. |
| A．By making the FOV move forward. | B．By avoiding the car being stuck. |
| C．By mixing the target’s colors. | D．By having the car reach the target. |
| A．They were born with the ability to remember. | B．They could recognize the color’s changes. |
| C．They were curious about new environments. | D．They could understand simple words. |
| A．Goldfish Learn to Drive on Land | B．Scientists Teach Fish Navigation Skills |
| C．Goldfish Know How to control the FOV | D．Scientists Help Goldfish Find Destinations |
7 . Laura encourages her two kids to make crafts and drawings from old bits of packaging. She began
“It’s cheaper and you know that the item will
Any glass container is
The family also grow their own tomatoes, lettuce, and some other vegetables in the garden, and have orange trees outdoors. Laura has also
She said, “We tried to use the minimum
To help educate her kids, Laura takes them out on nature walks to the forest where they
| A．considering | B．reducing | C．analyzing | D．dividing |
| A．pots | B．handles | C．items | D．collections |
| A．continue | B．stop | C．fancy | D．delay |
| A．game | B．lead | C．match | D．role |
| A．original | B．enjoyable | C．cautious | D．normal |
| A．attended to | B．left out | C．washed up | D．taken away |
| A．equipment | B．furniture | C．glass | D．rubbish |
| A．thoroughly | B．delightedly | C．modestly | D．accidentally |
| A．devoted | B．found | C．exposed | D．buried |
| A．share | B．trade | C．discuss | D．clarify |
| A．necessary | B．valuable | C．ordinary | D．possible |
| A．purchase | B．discover | C．approach | D．preserve |
| A．far-away | B．duty-free | C．second-hand | D．life-long |
| A．pull out | B．pick up | C．hold back | D．keep off |
| A．activity | B．idea | C．theme | D．jungle |
8 . Something was in the air. All his senses told White Fang that some big change was about to come. “Listen to that!” said Matt. Through the open door came a low, anxious howl, like a sobbing under the breath.
The truth was that Scott was torn. He was miserable at the idea of leaving White Fang, but he knew a dog like him needed the wide-open spaces of the frozen North. Five or six times he changed his mind. But in the end he decided firmly against taking him. He told himself, “He would hate living in a city, anyway.”
Then came the day when White Fang saw his master pack and take two large bags out of the cabin. “Poor fellow,” said Scott, gently rubbing White Fang’s ears. “I’m hitting the trail, old boy, I’ve got a new job in California, where you can’t follow. Now give me your howls. A goodbye howl!” But White Fang wouldn’t howl. He gave his master a wistful, searching look and buried his head out of sight, between his master’s arm and body.
Matt locked the door. Scott wiped his eyes. “Take good care of him, Matt,” he said, “Write and let me know how he gets on.” “Sure,” replied Matt. “But listen to that!” Both men stopped. White Fang was howling inside. His howl burst upwards, dying down into trembling misery. It rose again and again.
Near the steamship, Scott said goodbye to Matt and was to have a final handshake with Matt. But Matt’s hand dropped. He stared at something behind them. Sitting on the deck and watching wistfully was White Fang! “Did you lock the door?” asked Scott. “Sure did.” Said Matt. As Scott patted the dog, he noticed blood on his nose and a fresh cut between his eyes. “We forgot the window!” he cried. “He’s all cut up. Must have made his way clean through the glass!”
The steamship whistled its final. Scott bent down to White Fang, “Howl for me now, you stupid, brave fellow!” White Fang knew he had won. He howled and nuzzled his beloved master for all he was worth.
1. Why doesn’t Scott take White Fang at first?| A．Because life stress outweighs reality. | B．Because he blocks his pursuit of career. |
| C．Because he dislikes the city environment. | D．Because he belongs to the spacious wild. |
| A．dialogues | B．actions | C．inner thoughts | D．emotions |
| A．To interpret his emotional changes. |
| B．To interact with the devoted animal. |
| C．To create an atmosphere of sadness. |
| D．To present a vivid account of the animal. |
| A．White Fang gets seriously injured all over. |
| B．Scott is the first to find White Fang on the deck. |
| C．White Fang’s fearless love contributes to their reunion. |
| D．White Fang catches up with Scott by breaking the door. |
9 . Above a shining ice pack in the Bering Sea, a helicopter flies over a polar bear, following paw prints in the snow. The bear suddenly appears as a hint of movement, white against white, making its way across the ice. The helicopter goes down, circling over the frightened creature, and a shotgun slides out the window, firing a tranquilizer (镇定剂) into the massive fur-covered bottom. Minutes pass. The bear shows no effects. The helicopter drops for a second shot. This time the bear stands its ground, and the pilot, fearing the animal is about to attack the aircraft, sharply noses the helicopter skyward.
But this bear finally moves unsteadily, then stretches out on the ice like a giant sheep dog. The helicopter sets down, and biologist Gerald Garner advances, kicking the bear in the behind to make sure it is motionless. A swivel (扭动) of its head and a flashing of teeth warn Garner that there is plenty of defiance left in this 272-kg meat-eating creature. With a syringe (注器), he injects more drug. At last the head lowers, and Garner can proceed. Around the bear’s neck he fastens a plastic collar containing a computer that will send data to a satellite, allowing scientists to keep track of the animal for a year. By the time Bear No. 6, 886 raises its head, the helicopter is softly above the air.
Those tense moments were all in a day’s work for Garner, one of a handful of hearty scientists, pilots and technicians taking part in a $700, 000 annual U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service study of polar bear populations. In an effort to follow the fate of more than 600 bears since the start of the program, the researchers have braved wind-chill factors of-59℃, hard living conditions, the constant threat of mechanical failures and the danger of being stuck on an ice pack. Last October two government biologists and a pilot disappeared while following polar bears from the air.
1. What do we know about the first shot?| A．It doesn’t work. | B．It annoys the bear. |
| C．It misses the target. | D．It frightens the bear. |
| A．Resistance. | B．Hope. | C．Evidence. | D．Fear. |
| A．Well-paid. | B．Short-staffed. | C．Life-threatening. | D．Time-saving. |
| A．Rescuing polar bears. | B．Tracking polar bears. |
| C．Hunting for polar bears. | D．Rounding up polar bears. |
10 . Humans are not the only ones adapting to the effects of global climate change. Animals are also adapting to the environmental changes—as some warm-blooded animals are beginning to “shapeshift” their bodies in response to shifts in climate, according to a recent study in Trends in Ecology & Evolution led by Sara Ryding, a researcher at Deakin University in Australia.
In the study, researchers identified new evidence that supports the theory that some warm-blooded animals are experiencing changes to their bodies due to the rising temperatures, resulting in larger legs, ears and beaks in some cases. The researchers noted that according to a principle known as “Allen’s Rule,” warm-blooded animals living in colder climates tend to have smaller appendages (like beaks or legs) than animals of the same species living in warmer climates.
Some of the most convincing evidence of shapeshifting was found in birds in Australia and North America, according to researchers. Certain species of Australian parrots have demonstrated about 4%-10% increase in the size of their beaks since 1871, which researchers attribute to rising temperatures. In North America, the dark-eyed junco (暗眼灯草雀) also has been seen an increase in beak size. Larger beaks help birds dissipate additional body heat more effectively, the study said, which is a useful feature as global temperatures rise.
“A lot of the time when climate change is discussed in mainstream media, people are asking ‘can humans overcome this?’ or ‘what technology can solve this?’” Ryding said in a news release from Cell Press. She said that just like humans, animals also had to adapt to climate changes. Ryding added, “The climate change that we have created is putting a whole lot of pressure on them, and while some species will adapt, others will not.” “Shapeshifting does not mean that animals are coping with climate change and that all is ‘fine,’” Ryding said, “It just means they are evolving to survive it.”
1. What do we know from the recent study led by Sara Ryding?| A．All species will not adapt to climate change. |
| B．Animals are dealing with climate change well. |
| C．The junco has been seen an increase in beak size in Australia. |
| D．Animals living in warmer climates tend to have smaller beaks. |
| A．Take in. | B．Turn off. | C．Build up. | D．Get rid of. |
| A．Concerned. | B．Confused. | C．Indifferent. | D．Amazed. |
| A．Animals Are Coping with Climate Change. |
| B．Rising Temperatures Are Threatening Animals. |
| C．Humans Are To Blame for Animals Shapeshift. |
| D．Climate Change Is Making Some Species Shapeshift. |
