Fuxian Lake is the third largest lake in. Yunnan province and is famous for its clean water. It is surrounded by hills on each side, and you can have beautiful views
Our first destination was
After lunch, we went boating on the lake, where I saw many lotus flowers (荷花) blossoming lively.
When the sun was setting, we had some local
2 . How long will a leaf live? It’s an economic decision. The leaves of Monkey Puzzle trees have a lifespan of more than 20 years, while Picea trees growing in the Gongga Mountains in China can survive for millennia. In contrast, maple leaves survive for only one season, while blueberry leaves just three months. So what determines the lifespan of a tree leaf?
The answer to that seemingly simple question is reported today in a paper in Science Advances by an international team of researchers from China, the UK, Japan, Norway, USA, and Australia. “It’s all about the economic choices faced by plants,” says first author, Dr. Han Wang from Tsinghua University in Beijing. “We already knew that conifers (针叶树) and other evergreen trees make longer-living leaves the closer they are to the poles,” she says. “Deciduous trees (落叶树) do the opposite. Their longest-lasting leaves are found in the tropics. And we knew that long-lived leaves tend to be tougher and thicker, and more expensive to build.” “Now, we have identified the major environmental factors at play.” she says. “These leaf economic traits are fundamental to the carbon cycle and nutrient economy.”
The team tested the results using data from thousands of species from hundreds of ecosystems. “Each species is essentially trying on the best way to maximize carbon absorption,” says co-author Professor Ian Wright from Macquarie University and Western Sydney University. “Evergreen conifers growing in poor soil in areas with a long cold winter can only thrive if they make long-term investments in their tough leaves. However, deciduous trees like the maple, race to create new leaves and capture carbon in the summer sun before leaf-drop in autumn,” he says. “The economic decision for a maple tree is to invest in fast-growing, cheap but flimsy leaves.”
During evolution, plants have been subject to the profound changes in climate which have resulted in major changes in vegetation (植被). The human impact on climate and vegetation are adding to the forces shaping plant communities.
1. Where is this text probably taken from?| A．A SciTech website. | B．A news report. |
| C．A geography textbook. | D．A tourist brochure. |
| A．The blueberry grows near the poles. |
| B．Evergreen trees lives longer than deciduous. |
| C．The maple is slow to absorb the carbon. |
| D．Conifers are tougher and harder to plant. |
| A．Weak. | B．Light. | C．Soft. | D．Narrow. |
| A．The Choices Plants Make |
| B．The Lifespan of Leaves |
| C．Human Impacts on Vegetation |
| D．Big Changes in Climate |
Shark fin soup,
Sharks are
Environmental protection
4 . Huge crowds are forming on Monday at the US Botanic Garden in Washington, DC. Usually, it’s a place to see flowers that look pretty, smell fantastic and bloom (开花) annually. But today, the so-called “corpse plants” on show are the opposite in all aspects.
Native to the rain forests of Sumatra, Indonesia, the corpse plants don’t bloom on a regular cycle -- the length of time between blooms ranges from a few years to a few decades and they are ugly and smelly.
“Last night it started out like a good French cheese, stinky but delightful. Then it moved on to a lazy boy’s socks. At last, it was junior high school gym followed by full-on rotten fish. Finally, it moved all the way to a rotting meat smell that was so thick and heavy that I experienced a sore throat, burning eyes and had a bitter taste in my mouth.” said John Clements, one of the garden employees,
“It smells bad to us, but it smells great to flies. It makes them think there’s rotten meat somewhere to lay their eggs, and that helps the corpse plant to get pollinated (授粉),” says Rob Raguso, a professor at Cornell University. “Since it takes a lot of energy for the plant to produce the smell, it puts it on reserve during the day, and will put it out in full strength from 9 pm to 3 am when the air is still and the smell can travel more easily.”
The smell comes from a number of chemicals that smell differently on their own, and that together draw flies to the plant’s cup-like flower. One of these, timethylamine, smells like rotting fish. Another, isovaleric acid, is responsible for the terrible smell of sweaty gym socks.
“It also heats up. The flower actually reaches human body temperature, making it all the more convincing to flesh-loving insects,”adds Rob Raguso.
1. What does John Clements mainly talk about?| A．Lazy boys’ socks. | B．Delightful French cheese. |
| C．The smell of a flower. | D．The taste of corpse plants. |
| A．At noon | B．At dusk. | C．In the afternoon. | D．After midnight. |
| A．To reserve energy. | B．To attract pollinators. |
| C．To heat the environment | D．To send the smell further. |
| A．What Makes Corpse Plants Smell So Bad? |
| B．How Do Corpse Plants Appeal to Insects? |
| C．When Do Corpse Plants Bloom in Full Strength? |
| D．Why Can Flies Find Corpse Plants in the Darkness? |
5 . Does gardening leave you feeling happy and relaxed? Your brain might be telling you something!
In Japan, there is a growing trend called forest bathing, where people immerse themselves in the outdoors as a way to relax and improve concentration. Why has this caught on?
Another important aspect of gardening is getting your hands dirty, and research show that this can improve your mental health. Scientists have discovered that the mycobacterium (分枝杆菌) found in soil can improve brain function. The micro bacteria found in the soil increases serotonin produced in the brain (also known as the “happy” chemical).
There’s also the sentimental (情感的) attachment to your garden. Gardening takes effort and because of this, a natural responsibility for the survival of your plants starts to rise with you. Sometimes you see them from seed to plant. Other times you forget to water them and they die.
| A．Because it is effective. |
| B．Because you don’t have a backyard. |
| C．You should look for areas to put planters. |
| D．By getting your hands dirty, you are also making your brain happy. |
| E．Gardening is a useful way of improving your physical and mental health. |
| F．By noticing the smallest details, you are also improving your concentration. |
| G．Regardless, caring for something other than yourself can be satisfying and purposeful. |
6 . Methuselah
Until 2013, Methuselah，an ancient bristlecone pine (狐尾松), had been the oldest known organism on Earth. While Methuselah still stands at the ripe old age of 4,848 in the White Mountains of California, in Inyo National Forest, another bristlecone pine which was unnamed in the area was discovered to be over 5,000 years old. Methuselah and the unnamed pine’s exact locations are kept a close secret in order to protect them.You can still visit the woods where Methuselah hides, but you’ll have to guess at which tree it is Could this one be it?
Sarv-e Abarqu
Sarv-e Abarqu, also called the “Zoroastrian Sarv”, is a cypress(柏树) tree in Yazd Province, Iran. The tree is estimated to be at least 4,000 years old. Having lived through the dawn of human civilization not far away, it is considered an Iranian national monument. Many have noted that Sarv-e Abarqu is most likely the oldest living thing in Asia.
Llangernyw Yew(紫衫)
This incredible yew is in a small churchyard of St. Digain’s Church in Llangernyw village, North Wales, United Kingdom. About 4,000 years old, the Llangernyw Yew was planted sometime in the prehistoric Bronze Age and it’s still growing! In 2002, the tree was named as one of 50 great British trees by the Tree Council.
The Senator
Though the Senator suffered tragedy in 2012 after a fire caused much of the tree to fall down, this iconic tree still stands. Formerly located in Florida, the Senator was widely considered the oldest of its species known to exist. It was also likely the largest U. S. tree of any species east of the Mississippi River. Estimated to have been around 3,500 years old, the Senator was used as a landmark for the Seminole Indians and other native tribes. The Senator’s size was particularly impressive because it went through many hurricanes, including one in 1925 which reduced its height by 40 feet.
1. Why will visitors be puzzled when they want to see Methuselah?| A．They can’t understand why it can be so old. |
| B．They don’t know how to protect it in its location. |
| C．They don’t believe it is a tree over 5,000 years old. |
| D．They can’t find out its specific location in the woods. |
| A．Methuselah. | B．Sarv-e Abarqu. | C．Llangernyw Yew. | D．The Senator. |
| A．It was once burned to the ground. |
| B．It was once cut short by a hurricane. |
| C．It was once used to protect the Seminole Indians. |
| D．It was once named as the greatest British tree. |
7 . Modern breeds (狗的品种) are often recognized by physical traits. Breeds are frequently associated with certain behaviors, too. But new evidence suggests that the breed is a poor predictor of your dog’s behaviors. A study collected genetic information from more than 2,000 dogs. That information was paired with answers to surveys by thousands of dog owners. On average, the breed explains only 9 percent of the behavioral differences between individual dogs, the study shows.
Elinor Karlsson, who works at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical Schoo1 in Worcester, studies dog genetics. “Everybody is assuming that the breed is predictive of behaviors in dogs,” she said. But “that has never really been asked particularly well”.
The team needed genetic and behavior data from a lot of dogs. So they developed Darwin’s Ark. It’s a database where pet owners can share information about their animals. More than 18, 000 owners took part. They answered more than 100 questions about their dog’s traits and observable behaviors.
The researchers also collected genetic data from 2,155 dogs. The team made sure to include both pure-bred and mixed-bred dogs, or mutts. Stereotypes (刻板印象) about purebreds could affect how those dogs are treated-and thus behave. Mutts don’t come with the same expectations. So mutt data could help focus on how genes seem to affect behaviors.
The team then combined the genetic and survey data for individual dogs. They looked for genes that appeared linked to particular traits. Comfort around people emerged as the behavior- al factor most strongly tied to genetics. Movement-based behaviors are also passed down through genes more than other traits.
That makes sense. Modern breeding has only been around for the last few hundred years. Before that, dogs were chosen for how well they did jobs, such as hunting or herding. The effects of those choices still show up in breed groups today. It’s not surprising, then, that a breed as a whole might be more likely to display certain behaviors. As their name suggests, retrievers (寻回犬) are more likely to retrieve than individuals of other breeds. But in the study, breed didn’t always predict how an individual dog would behave. As a group, retrievers were less likely to howl. Some owners, though, reported their retrievers howled often.
1. What does the study find?| A．Dogs are as individual as people. |
| B．One dog can share another breed’s behaviors. |
| C．Breeds have nothing to do with certain behaviors. |
| D．Breeds don’t relate much to dog behavioral differences. |
| A．To study the evolution of dogs. |
| B．To help pet owners find their dogs. |
| C．To collect information of rare dogs. |
| D．To learn more about dogs’ behaviors. |
| A．People have stereotypes of them. |
| B．There is less information about them. |
| C．Their breeds are less predictive of behaviors. |
| D．They show more distinct traits than pure-bred dogs. |
| A．Dogs are as smart as people |
| B．We may be unfairly stereotyping dogs |
| C．Pay less attention to its breed when buying a dog |
| D．Dogs are often recognized by physical traits |
Greenpeace is not satisfied
“Europe desperately needs to decarbonize transport, but ministers missed a
Greenpeace francized EU national governments for
The Czech Republic, which
European Commission Executive Vice-President Fran’s Timmermans,
9 . Biologists are becoming more and more concerned that global climate change will probably reduce biodiversity. Some biologists estimate that 35% of animals and plants could become extinct in the wild by 2050 due to global climate change. Before the industrial revolution, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels rarely climbed above 280 ppm; But during the 2014 calendar year, carbon dioxide levels ascended to 402 ppm.
In the fall of 2014, the National Audubon Society released a report entitled Birds and Climate Change. It is a comprehensive, first-of-its kind study that predicts how climate change could affect the ranges of 588 North American birds. Of the 588 North American bird species, more than half are likely to be in trouble. The National Audubon Society’s models indicate that 314 species will lose more than 50 percent of their current climatic range by 2080. Of the 314 species at risk from global warming, 126 of them are classified as climate endangered. These birds are projected to lose more than 50 percent of their current range by 2050. The other 188 species are classified as climate threatened and expected to lose more than 50 percent of their current range by 2080 if global warming continues at its current pace.
In January 2020, two widely reported studies were carried out to show the dramatic impact of climate disruption on our wildlife and fisheries along the California coast. The first study showed that from 2014 to 2016, over a million common murres from Alaska through California died as a result of a marine heat wave. The second study shows that acid rainfall caused by carbon emissions is harming shell-building animals in the ocean. The study found that larval Dungeness crabs’ shells suffer damage in west coast seawater, putting at risk the most profitable fishery in California and a beloved local seafood.
These newly documented impacts provide more evidence that we are running out of time to take action by drastically reducing our use of fossil fuels in order to slow the rate of climate disruption and to give birds and other animals more time to adapt.
Visit our How You Can Help Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions page to learn what you can do to help protect these species at risk from climate disruption.
1. What does “ascended” underlined in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．Reduced. | B．Rose. |
| C．Fell. | D．Appeared. |
| A．The report on the human society. |
| B．The reason of global warming. |
| C．The disappearance of the birds. |
| D．The influence of climate change. |
| A．They both had a big effect on humans. |
| B．Many murres were killed by heat wave. |
| C．Crabs’ shells are local people’s favorite. |
| D．Acid rain caused most carbon emission. |
| A．A science website. | B．An art magazine. |
| C．A history book. | D．A diet newspaper. |
10 . The ozone layer serves a very important purpose: it protects Earth from harmful rays from the Sun. It absorbs these rays so they are less powerful when they reach us. A new film and mobile game created for the United Nations are aiming to help young people understand the challenge of protecting the ozone layer.
The new film and mobile game are both called Reset Earth and are set in the year 2084, where three teenagers are trying to find the cause of a deadly disease called “The Grow” . In this alternate reality they discover it’s because humans did not do enough to save the ozone layer by improving products: such as fridges, air conditioners and aerosols. Some of these items use substances that can become greenhouse gases and harm the ozone layer. Thankfully, in real life, people did come together and put rules in place in the 1980s to protect the ozone layer and give it a chance to recover.
The free animated film is being released first, and it tells the story of the three heroes -. Knox, Sagan and Terran - as they travel back to different points in history. The mobile game version of Reset Earth follows on 10 February and will put you in the characters’ shoes for a platform game set in four different “time zone jumps”.
“The protection of the ozone layer cannot be considered a done deal. It must be a continuous effort by us and by future generations,” says Megumi Seki, from the United Nations’ Ozone Secretarial department, which created Reset Earth. “If our children learn about the grim consequences of a ruined ozone layer. . . they will be aware of its importance and protect it. ”
1. What do we know about the new film and mobile game?| A．They are both set in the real life. |
| B．Three heroes travel back to the same points in history. |
| C．They appeal to young people to protect the ozone layer. |
| D．Teenagers haven’t found the cause of the deadly disease. |
| A．Positive |
| B．Intolerant |
| C．Doubtful |
| D．Unclear |
| A．a very urgent task. |
| B．a demanding task. |
| C．a less important task. |
| D．a task that has ended. |
| A．To explain a natural phenomenon. |
| B．To introduce a new film and mobile game. |
| C．To express author’s concern about our planet. |
| D．To tell the consequence of a ruined ozone layer. |
