1 . Eating insects is one of those ideas that never quite seem to catch on. The United Nations spread the idea a decade ago, but, in the West at least, insects remain mostly absent from supermarket shelves. Faced with an unsatisfied public, scientists have been exploring other options. One is to feed the insects instead to farm animals, which are not so picky.
Of course, the insects need to eat, too. To date, they have mostly reared (饲养) on leftover chicken feed. But the supply of that is limited, and if insect-reared meat is to take off, new sources will be needed. Niels Eriksen, a biochemist at Aalborg University, suggests feeding them on the waste products of the beer industry.
The world knocks back around 185bn litres of beer every year. Each litre produces between three and ten litres of wastewater full of thrown-away grains. The mix is rich in protein but lacking in carbohydrates (碳水化合物), especially compared with chicken feed.
Most insects grown for feed depend, in the wild, on the carbohydrates found in bad fruit. Whether insects would actually consider beer waste a square meal was, therefore, unclear.
The researchers used the baby insects of the black soldier fly. The young insects were divided into three groups, which were offered beer waste, chicken feed or a mixture of both. The researchers monitored both their weight gain and the amount of CO, they produced. They found the baby insects happily consumed both beer waste and chicken feed, and grew equally well on either food source. Dr Eriksen found few differences in how nutritious the insects would be to farm animals.
The experiment may have implications beyond the beer business, too. Bone meal from farms, and waste from other food industries are all likewise plentiful and protein-rich.
All now look to be reasonable targets for nutrient recycling by insects. Whether consumers will be willing to eat insect-reared beef, though, remains to be seen.
1. What is the purpose of Niels Eriksen’s research?| A．To find alternatives to chicken feed. |
| B．To recycle the wastewater in beer industry. |
| C．To change public’s attitude toward insects. |
| D．To reduce the consumption of waste products. |
| A．The future application of the research. | B．The importance of protein in the cycle. |
| C．The extended influence of the research. | D．The contribution of the beer industry. |
| A．chickens-insects-cows-humans | B．humans-beer waste-insects-cows |
| C．beer waste-insects-cows-humans | D．cows-chickens-insects-beer waste |
| A．Waste recycling will be taking off soon |
| B．Eating insects is the new option for people |
| C．Insects could help turn beer waste into beef |
| D．Insects could gain popularity in supermarket |
2 . Climate change is not only a human problem; animals have to adapt to it as well. Some “warm-blooded” animals are shapeshifting (变形) and getting larger legs, ears, and beak s to better control their body temperatures as the planet gets hotter. Bird researcher Sara Ryding of Deakin University in Australia describes these changes in a review.
“It’s high time we recognized that animals also have to adapt to these changes, and this is occurring over a far shorter time than would have occurred through most of evolutionary time,” says Ryding. “The climate change that we have created is putting a lot of pressure on them, and while some species will adapt, others will not.”
Ryding notes that climate change is a complex phenomenon that’s been occurring gradually, so it’s difficult to determine just one cause of the shapeshifting. But these changes have been occurring across wide geographical regions and among a variety of species, so there is little in common apart from climate change.
Strong shapeshifting has particularly been reported in birds. Several species of Australian parrot have shown, on average, a 4% to 10% increase in size since 1871, and this is positively associated with the summer temperature each year. North American dark-eyed juncos, a type of small songbird, had a link between increased size and short-term temperature extremes in cold environments. There have also been reported changes in mammalian (哺乳动物) species. Researchers have reported tail length increases in wood mice. “The increases in appendage (附肢) size we see so far are quite small — less than 10% — so the changes are unlikely to be immediately noticeable,” says Ryding. “However, prominent (突起的) appendages such as ears are predicted to increase.”
Next, Ryding intends to investigate shapeshifting in Australian birds by 3D scanning museum bird samples from the past 100 years. Undoubtedly, it will give her team a better understanding of which birds are changing appendage size due to climate change and why.
1. What is the purpose of paragraph 1?| A．To introduce a bird researcher. | B．To present a shapeshifting phenomenon. |
| C．To explain the cause of climate change. | D．To state the terrible influence of climate change. |
| A．It is slower than their evolution. | B．It’s impossible to determine its cause. |
| C．It is a global phenomenon beyond species. | D．Climate change is its potential cause. |
| A．The examples of shapeshifting. | B．The effects of shapeshifting. |
| C．The explanations of shapeshifting. | D．The history of shapeshifting. |
| A．The speed of shapeshifting. | B．The cause of climate change. |
| C．The samples of Australian birds. | D．The understanding of bird history. |
3 . Hummingbirds (蜂鸟) are a very important part of Mexico’s ecosystem, but because of the ever-spreading city landscape, they face all sorts of serious dangers. That’s where 73-year-old Catia Lattouf de Arida comes in. As a self-taught hummingbird care-taker, she devotes most of her free time and resources to nursing the tiny birds back to health. Her home in Mexico City has become known as a hummingbird hospital
Catia’s story as a hummingbird nurse began in 2011, at a very dificult moment in her life. At that time, she focused on her battle with cancer and fell into a depression (抑郁) . She was walking on the strect one day when she noticed a hummingbird that had suffered a serious eye injury. The kindhearted woman took it home and named it Gucci. She managed to nurse Gucci back to health, but she said it was Gucci that saved her. Why? Because the hummingbird managed to pull her out of the sadness and loneliness that had taken over her life.
Word of her success spread among Catia’s friends, and before long some of them began bringing her injured hummingbirds. She didn’t repulse them at all. She began to study the bird and their habits in order to better take care of them, and after 11 years of experience, the 73-year-old woman is considered an expert on hummingbirds.
In order to raise awareness of the difficult situation of hummingbirds in Mexico, Catia Lattouf de Arida started posting videos of the patients in her Mexico City apartment on social media, and many of them became popular. That’s when the need for her nursing services really blew up. She has cared for hundreds of hummingbirds in her 11-year career, when she has had as many as 50 of them in her apartment at any one time. She spends pretty much all her time looking after the tiny birds.
1. Which saying can best show the main idea of the first two paragraphs?| A．It is better to give than to take. |
| B．Actions speak louder than words. |
| C．Helping others is helping ourselves. |
| D．A bird in hand is worth two in the bush. |
| A．Expect. | B．Refuse. | C．Accept. | D．Recognize |
| A．When her friends heard about her success. |
| B．When she was considered as a bird expert. |
| C．After she shared the birds’ videos on the media. |
| D．After she looked after a large number of the birds. |
| A．honest and kind | B．generous and creative |
| C．devoted and strict | D．caring and responsible |
4 . Spring turns Europe into a world of colours. If you want to experience spring in all its colourful glory, here are four of the best places for you.
Blooming Baroque, Ludwigsburg, Germany
The Blooming Baroque garden show in Ludwigsburg, Germany, has been welcoming visitors since 1954. Visit the 18th-century palace between March and May and you can not only see displays filled with flowers, but also watch different kinds of birds and visit gardens, climb Rapunzel’s tower and get lost in a giant hedge maze (树篱迷宫).
Keukenhof Gardens, Lisse, the Netherlands
The largest flower garden in the world, Keukenhof in the Netherlands is the best place to see the symbolic Dutch flower at its finest. Tulips explode across the gardens, with more than 800 different varieties. After you’ve wandered through the gardens, you can hire a bike at the main gate and then ride through the endless rows of picture-perfect flowered rainbows. The show runs from March 21 to June 10.
Normandy Tulip Festival, Vendeuvre, France
The French garden of the 18th-century Vendeuvre Chiteau in Normandy springs to life in April, as over 30,000 tulips, narcissi and grape hyacinths awaken. Open afternoons throughout April between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Temps de Flors, Girona, Spain
Girona’s medieval centre is transformed into a living gallery as flower carpets and special sculptures explode throughout the city centre each May. The Girona A Cappella Festival invites music lovers to engage all their senses as the sound, smell and sight of spring fill the city for 10 days in May.
1. What can you do in Ludwigsburg, Germany?| A．Watch birds. | B．Appreciate rainbows. | C．Taste grapes. | D．Visit a flower gallery. |
| A．Climb a tower. | B．Admire tulips. | C．Join a bike tour. | D．Host an art show. |
| A．To Germany. | B．To Dutch. | C．To France. | D．To Spain. |
5 . Caring for plants is a fantastic skill for kids to have. There are so many benefits of gardening for kids, yet the importance of gardening in early childhood is often undervalued. Here are some reasons why to teach your kids to garden.
Gardening makes kids stronger.
Gardening is good for kids’ well-being. Studies find that kids who garden have reduced large amounts of anxiety, stress and tend to be in a better mood.
Gardening is beneficial for picky eaters.
Gardening strengthens connection. Through gardening activities, kids grow closer to their parents and make many new friends.
| A．Gardening helps build teamwork skills. |
| B．Gardening activates kids’ sensory skills. |
| C．It is the perfect activity for growing bodies. |
| D．Learning to garden can be very tiring for children. |
| E．Spending time outdoors in nature can bring a sense of well-being. |
| F．Kids are more likely to eat the vegetables and fruit they’ve helped grow. |
| G．They also develop a connection to the earth and a need to care for our planet. |
6 . Like dogs, wolves can recognize and respond to the voices of familiar humans more than those of strangers, according to a recent study. The research challenges the belief that dogs ability to differentiate human voices is due to selective breeding (选择性繁殖).
Holly Root Gutteridge and colleagues carried out experiments across five zoos and wildlife parks in Spain, involving a total of 24 gray wolves. The team set up speakers and first played the animals the voice of a number of strangers. Then, they played the wolves the voice of their keeper who would say familiar things to them in Spanish, such as “Hey, what’s up, wolves?” The wolves raised their heads, pricked their ears up, and turned toward the speaker. To test that the effect wasn’t accidental, the researchers went back to playing the wolves recordings of strangers and found that they once more lost interest. Finally, to make sure that the wolves truly knew their keepers’ voices, the team mixed things up and had the keepers say a series of unfamiliar phrases. Once more, the results held up.
Root Gutteridge pointed out the significance of wolves being able to differentiate between humans, despite the fact that our species went our separate evolutionary (进化的) ways tens of millions of years ago.
Before this, there had been a limited number of studies on the topic of how animals differentiate between the vocalizations (发声) of other species. Research has shown that our close cousins, gorillas, listen to people, but that was expected.
Given the new finding, “chances are that lots of species are listening to us and getting to know us as individuals,” Root Gutteridge said. “And it’s not all about us. Dogs could be listening to the neighbors’ cats and understanding the difference between one meow or the other. If the abilities are that general, it means that animals might be having a lot more cross- species interactions than we had thought about before.”
1. What established viewpoint does the recent research call into question?| A．Dogs are the only animals that can differentiate human voices. |
| B．Wolves recognize the voices of humans better than dogs. |
| C．Wolves cannot understand human languages. |
| D．Selective breeding enables dogs to differentiate human voices. |
| A．By letting the keepers say unfamiliar phrases in Spanish. |
| B．By asking strangers to reproduce the keepers’ voices. |
| C．By playing recordings of strangers speaking familiar phrases. |
| D．By changing the playback speed of the keepers’ recordings. |
| A．To stress their close relationship with humans. |
| B．To offer additional evidence for the recent study. |
| C．To point out another species that can differentiate voices. |
| D．To explain how animals’ ability to differentiate humans’ voices developed. |
| A．The focus of the future studies. |
| B．The limitations of the research. |
| C．The significance of the research. |
| D．The uniqueness of the experiments. |
7 . It might be strange to wear clothes made out of plastic bottles. But in fact some clothing companies are already making such clothes.
Fashion brand JUMA recently showed its newest collection at a workshop in Shanghai. Eighteen clothing items from the collection, including jump-suits, jackets, shirts and dresses, were made from recycled plastic bottles. “We realized that billions of water bottles were being thrown into landfills and oceans every year and that these bottles take hundreds of years to decompose (分解). We thought we should use them to create our clothes and help the environment,” said Alia Juma, the company’s design director.
Many other fashion companies are finding similar ways to save our planet these days. The process is rather simple. First, the plastic bottles are washed and cut into small pieces. Then they are melted and shaped into small balls. The balls are melted again to form thread. People can then use the thread to make different kinds of clothes.
According to Juma, it takes 67,000 bottles to create 1 ton of thread. This reduces carbon emissions by 4.2 tons and water use by 6.2 tons compared with the normal way of making thread. “4 bottles can make a pillowcase. 5 can make a shirt, 10 a dress and 20 a short coat,” Juma said.
Some people might have doubts about wearing something made out of plastic bottles. But according to Causeartist, a website that focuses on innovation, clothes made from plastic could be even better than nylon and polyester. Plastic thread can be made into different textures, such as cotton, silk or even wool. “The more we learn about recycled fabrics, the more we realize that they work just like other fabrics. You can get a heavier cotton feeling or a silky feeling by weaving the yarns into different textures and using different washing methods. There is actually a lot you can do with this fabric,” Juma said.
The price for the clothes in the new collection ranges from 500 to 3,000 yuan. However, Juma is optimistic that prices will fall when more companies follow the sustainability path taken by her business.
1. Why is fashion brand JUMA now making clothes from plastic bottles?| A．Because too many bottles are being thrown away. |
| B．Because the company has advanced technology. |
| C．Because people are fond of wearing such clothes. |
| D．Because recycling the bottles is good for the Earth. |
| A．Creating 1 ton of thread in the normal way brings about 4.2 tons of carbon emissions. |
| B．Making clothes from plastic bottles reduces carbon footprint and is worth the effort. |
| C．A fashion company can make as many as 300 short coats using only 1 ton of thread. |
| D．The new way of making thread from plastic bottles is not harmful to the environment. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Critical. | C．Supportive. | D．Disapproving. |
| A．To advertise fashion brand JUMA. | B．To introduce a new type of clothes. |
| C．To praise fashion companies’ creativity. | D．To express concern about the Earth. |
8 . Need to get rid of old clothes? You’re not alone: With fast fashion, it’s easier than ever to follow trends. But cheap clothes aren’t made to last, most of which often end up in a landfill (垃圾填埋场). Take US as an example: per person generates an average of 82 pounds of such waste every year, with 85 per cent of it going to landfills even though 95 per cent can be reused.
Donating is a popular alternative — but know that only about 10 to 20 per cent of donated clothing gets sold at thrift shops (廉价旧货店). While all but five per cent of donated clothes are resold for reuse or recycling, it’s impossible to know exactly how much ultimately becomes trash.
The best way to ensure good, usable clothing doesn’t become waste is to increase the chances it ends up with someone who wants it. First, don’t wait too long if you choose to donate clothing to an organization, big or small. The sooner you donate your unwanted items, the more demand there is for them. Wherever you donate, ensure clothes are clean and dry. If it’s damaged or stained, don’t send it to thrift shops. They don’t have the capacity to do repairs and it just creates a financial burden in addition to the eco-burden, and defeats the purpose of the charitable action.
Clothes that are stained or damaged beyond repair will likely never be re-worn but can still be diverted (使转向) from landfills. You can send your clothes directly to recycling companies, like through Retold Recycling or municipal programmes. Old clothes can be downcycled into other items like wipers for car washes, and even generated into new textiles (织品).
Recycling is better than landfilling. It might take time to do a little research to find the right organization that can actually use the items you’re looking to give away. But it’s more rewarding than throwing everything in a big garbage bag, dumping it into a bin, and hoping for the best.
1. What can be learnt about fast fashion?| A．It has reduced the eco-burden. |
| B．It has caused clothing waste. |
| C．It has lost its appeal in the US. |
| D．It has led to a rise in landfills. |
| A．To show the seriousness of the clothing waste. |
| B．To criticize the spending habits of Americans. |
| C．To push for tougher laws against fast fashion. |
| D．To offer practical advice on managing landfills. |
| A．Make them into new textiles. |
| B．Put as many into landfills as possible. |
| C．Downcycle them into wipers. |
| D．Donate them to where they are needed. |
| A．Critical. | B．Indifferent. | C．Supportive. | D．Unclear. |
9 . How Weather Affects Our Mood
The weather supplies many metaphors (隐喻) for our changeable minds. Moods can brighten and darken, futures can be under a cloud, and relationships can be stormy.
Of the many aspects of weather, sunshine is the most closely tied to mood. Although the link is weaker than many people imagine, sunlight has repeatedly been found to increase positive moods and reduce tiredness.
Indeed, the effects of weather on mood depend on our behavior and on how we think.
| A．Similarly, grey weather may encourage serious and calm thinking |
| B．Aspects of weather beyond heat and sunshine have also been shown to affect mood |
| C．Weather provides a vivid language for describing our emotional atmosphere |
| D．Temperature can also affect our mind and behavior |
| E．But the effects of weather on mood are not entirely biological |
| F．Anything that changes our moods can affect our behavior |
| G．Basically, weather will only influence us if we are outdoors experiencing it |
10 . Art may not be a uniquely human patent. Apes (猿), monkeys, elephants, dolphins and even rabbits can be encouraged to express themselves via pencil and paper.
New research on the artistic efforts of apes suggests that their work varies according to changes in the world around them. The new study, published in the journal Animals, focuses on hundreds of drawings produced by five female apes at Japan’s Tama Zoological Park, where keepers provided them with crayons and paper over many years as part of a behavioural enrichment programme.
One of the apes, named Molly, was especially productive. She only started drawing on her 54th birthday, but from that point on, until her death five years later, she produced about 1,300 pictures. She drew almost every day, creating more complex pictures than her companions. “I don’t know if we can describe her as a genius,” says Sueur, a biologist in the park. “Such differences are often observed between individuals of a species, with some smarter than others.” Sueur and his colleagues identified individual differences between the apes’ artistic styles, in terms of their preferred colors, the types of shapes they drew and the space they filled on the paper. Only Molly routinely filled most of the space available.
Molly’s style changed with the season too. In summer and winter, greens dominated her pictures, but she switched to pinks and purples in spring and autumn. Appealingly, she opted for red whenever another female in the group was giving birth, which may indicate that her paintings are something more than purely abstract.
“We’ve tried not to overinterpret,” says Sueur. “It could be earlier representational art.” The biologists suggest that apes may provide clues to the development of artistic skills in humans. Like children, and unlike other species known to put pen to paper, the apes needed no reward to participate in the task, suggesting that they enjoy it for its own interest.
1. What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?| A．Female animals are talented at the creation of art. |
| B．The artistic style of animals remains unchanged. |
| C．Some animals can develop artistic skills like humans. |
| D．Animals are capable of creating masterpieces through efforts. |
| A．Talented. | B．Human-like. | C．Open-minded. | D．Competitive. |
| A．Help people know better about apes. |
| B．Gain a new perspective of the evolution of art. |
| C．Better protect the friends of humans-animals. |
| D．Appeal to humans to learn from apes. |
| A．Work hard, play hard. | B．Well begun is half done. |
| C．Look before you leap. | D．Interest is the best teacher. |
