1 . Elephant Transit Home
In both Africa and Asia elephants are being threatened by changes in their natural habitats (栖息地). People are moving into the elephants’ habitats and endangering their survival. In the country of Sri Lanka, there is one place where elephants are not only protected but also respected. It is called the Elephant Transit Home (ETH).
Set up in 1995, the ETH aims to protect and nurture baby elephants that are found injured or living without their mothers in the wild. Every year about 30 baby elephants in Sri Lanka need help. As many as possible are brought to the ETH. There they are given food, shelter, and medical care. Most importantly, they are given the chance to be with other elephants and become part of a herd (象群).
A day at the ETH begins early in the morning when the baby elephants are given their first feeding of milk. During the day, each baby will drink an average of 13 gallons of milk. Older elephants are fed mostly coconut leaves and other native plants. Then the elephants are allowed to walk around, eating the grass and forming a herd. The cost of caring for the baby elephants is high. The ETH spends about $125,000 each year on powdered milk for the baby elephants.
At the ETH, workers try to reduce human connection with the elephants. They also try to increase bonds (联系) between the elephants. It usually takes three years for a baby elephant to be set free into its natural habitat. The elephants are sent back to the wild together with other orphans with whom they have bonded. This program helps them return to the wild as members of a herd that will communicate with each other and take care of each other.
The ETH is considered one of the best animal protection sites in the world. Not only are the elephants cared for, they are treated with respect. Most importantly, they go back to live in the wild, where they belong.
1. What does the underlined word “nurture” in Paragraph 2 mean?A.Set free. | B.Relate to. | C.Focus on. | D.Care for. |
A.It changes elephants’ habitats for the better. |
B.It receives about $125,000 each year. |
C.It helps to keep baby elephants safe. |
D.It protects 30 elephants every year. |
A.To study them better in a natural environment. |
B.To help them make it in the wild as a herd. |
C.To provide them with more living space. |
D.To train them to stay away from hunters. |
A.To introduce an animal protection site. |
B.To show the ways of wildlife protection. |
C.To explain the threat baby elephants face. |
D.To persuade the readers to protect elephants. |
2 . In a county of Britain, a pair of pig farmers has managed to feed one million bees by turning over half of their land to wildflowers. Four years ago, brothers Mark and Paul Hayward decided to fill 81 acres of their farm land with wildflowers. This week, a study found they were feeding one million bees at any time.
“This was our target when we started, to, grow enough flowers to feed a million bees on a single day.” Mark said. “We are acutely aware that bees are under threat from modern farming methods and that East England is one of the worst places where bees are seriously suffering from lack of wildflower diversity,” he continued.
“Every third bite of food you eat can come from bees and we wanted to create an operation on our farm that did not push nature out but rather hugged it-as a central part of our ecology system and our food cycle,” he said.
The farm uses all kinds of seeds which can produce many different wild plants and of course, the bees can get food from different wildflowers.
“We are taking a very small role in helping society restore a balance and this starts with plant diversity to encourage insects, bees, small mammals(哺乳动物), and birds,” said Paul. “At the end of the day, we see ourselves as caretakers of this land. Between us we have six children and we owe it to them to farm sustainability(持续性)and set an example for the generations to come,” added Paul.
According to the Bee Conservation Trust, many types of bees have seen their populations decline by 70%, and two species have become extinct in the last century.
Gill Perkins, CEO of the Bee Conservation Trust said, “Thanks to Mark and Paul, at least here, a million bees can keep living, which is of great significance for ourselves now and future.”
1. What can we know about the brothers from the first two paragraphs?A.They have about 160 acres of land. |
B.They grow wild flowers for pigs. |
C.They are not good at growing wild flowers. |
D.They have to support 1, 000, 000 bees in their land. |
A.There is a shortage of water for bees. |
B.Bees are not used to the modern society. |
C.There are too many animals eating bees. |
D.Bees can not find different wild flowers. |
A.Opposed. | B.Doubtful. |
C.Supportive. | D.Disappointed. |
A.The Bees are in Danger Now |
B.Two Brothers Feed a Million Bees |
C.Only one Million Bees are Surviving in East England |
D.Two Brothers Love Wild Flowers in East England |
Are you worried about our earth? Do you want to do what you can to save it?
Turn off anything that uses electricity when not in use.
It's not just paper, plastic and glass that can be recycled — clothes can be, too.
You don't have to travel far to get what you need, and products don't have to travel far to get to you, either. Shop at farmers' markets and buy food that was produced as close to your home as possible. And when you're online shopping, try to find things that won't have to travel long distances.
Save water.If you don't let the water run when you're brushing your teeth and take showers instead of baths, you will be using less water and less energy — but you'll still be just as clean!
A.Buy things nearby. |
B.Think before you eat. |
C.It's hard to know where to start. |
D.Turn short jeans you've grown out of into shorts. |
E.Also, don't wash dishes with the water running continuously. |
F.This goes for lights, televisions, computers, printers, and so on. |
G.Bring a reusable water bottle with you when travelling or at work. |
4 . Everybody knows that Coca Cola is red and Starbucks is green. Most of us can name companies and their own brand colors. What we may not know about is the science behind these companies' choices of these colors. Color psychology is the study of how colors affect people's feelings, actions, and decision-making. Companies use color psychology when they develop their brands and advertisements in order to encourage us to buy. In fact studies have shown that around 90 percent of people spend money depending on color and appearance. Because of this, companies use colors to influence how we feel about their products. For example, it’s no accident that many tech products use white; it's simple and clean. At the same time, cosmetics companies prefer colors like purple, black, or pink that mean love, comfort, and romance.
Companies often choose active colors that make you buy right now. Red, for example, is a high-energy, exciting color that moves people to take action. Yellow is the color of summer, and it’s bright and remarkable. In fact, most big companies have something to do with certain specific colors. Studies show that customers prefer brands that they know. Then those with a proper color plan, such as LEGO or Facebook are likely to perform more strongly on the market. Research has also shown that men and women like different colors. Men prefer blue, green, and black while women prefer like purple and pink.
1. What products are usually made white?A.Food and drinks. | B.Clothes for women. |
C.Computer and earphones. | D.Starbucks |
A.They pay attention to the color plan. | B.They may be popular on the market. |
C.They may be bright and remarkable. | D.They decide to choose red and yellow for the plan. |
A.A coat in pink. | B.A pair of shoes in green. |
C.A handbag in black. | D.A T-shirt in yellow |
A.Few companies use color psychology. |
B.Colors influence our shopping habits. |
C.We should buy something according to it's color. |
D.colors don’t affect people's feelings, actions, and decision-making. |
China launched
Be careful what you say around your dog.It might understand more than you think.
A border collie named Rico recognizes the names of about 200 objects, say researchers in Germany.The dog also appears to be able to learn new words as easily as a 3-year-old child.Its word-learning skills are as good as those of a parrot or chimpanzee.
In one experiment, the researchers took all 200 items that Rico is supposed to know and divided them into 20 groups of 10 objects.Then the owner told the dog to go and fetch one of the items and bring it back.In four tests, Rico got 37 out of 40 commands right.As the dog couldn't see anyone to get clues, the scientists believe Rico must understand the meanings of certain words.
In another experiment, the scientists took one toy that Rico had never seen before and put it in a room with seven toys whose names the dog already knew.The owner then told Rico to fetch the object, using a word the dog had never heard before.
The correct object was chosen in seven out of ten tests, suggesting that the dog had worked
out the answer by process of elimination(排除法).A month later, Rico remembered half of the new names, which is even more impressive.
Rico is thought to be smarter than the average dog.For one thing, Rico is a border collie, a breed (品种)known for its mental abilities.In addition, the 9-year-old dog has been trained to fetch toys by their names since the age of nine months.
It's hard to know if all dogs understand at least some of the words we say.Even if they do, they can't talk back.Still, it wouldn't hurt to sweet-talk your dog every now and then.You might just get a big, wet kiss in return!
1. From paragraph 2 we know that __________.
A.animals are as clever as human beings |
B.chimpanzees have very good word-learning skills |
C.dogs are smarter than parrots and chimpanzees |
D.dogs have similar learning abilities as 3-year-old children |
A.Rico is smart enough to get all commands right |
B.Rico can recognize different things including toys |
C.Rico has developed the ability of learning mathematics |
D.Rico won't forget the names of objects once recognizing them |
A.Rico has a better memory partly because of its proper early training. |
B.The purpose of the experiments is to show the border collie's mental abilities. |
C.The border collie is world-famous for recognizing objects. |
D.Rico is born to understand its owner's commands. |
A.To train your dog. | B.To talk to your dog. |
C.To be careful with your dog. | D.To be friendly to your dog. |
7 . When Rachel Ratelle saw a news video of a burned koala trying to climb a tree to safety in fire-ravaged(火灾肆虐的)Australia, she decided to do something about it.
She looked up wildlife rescue and relief agencies in Australia to find out what they needed most. Besides donations, many organizations asked for hand-sewn and knitted pouches(袋子)and wraps for koalas and other animals that were burned or had lost their homes and parents in the fires.
This idea attracted Ratelle, but there was just one problem.
"I'd never sewn in my life," said Ratelle, 17, a senior at Rancho Buena Vista High School in Vista, US. "Giving money seemed like something too simple. But I wanted to directly help these animals by doing something myself, so I decided to learn how to sew."
Over the next few months, Ratelle bought her own sewing machine and taught herself how to sew via videos online. Then she bought 18 yards of fabric and sewed 25 pouches of different sizes and shipped them off to Fir Australian Wildlife Needing Aid (FAWNA), one of several relief organizations that have rushed to rescue koalas, kangaroos and other species suffering from bums. A week later, she received a photo from FAWNA with a baby kangaroo in one of her larger pouches. "It made me feel like I contributed to the world and it showed how a simple act of kindness can go a long way," said Ratelle, who hopes to study biology for a future career as a nurse practitioner.
"I plan to use my new sewing skills to help animals and people devastated by natural disaster," she said.
Several craft union websites around the world have called for Australian relief by making the animal pouches. Karen Newberry and her two daughters Madison, 12 and Rochelle, 8, from San Diego also offered their help in such a way. For Newberry, "It was a big push that made us crafters, sewers realize there's something more we can do than just make things for ourselves," she said.
1. What do the first two paragraphs mainly talk about?A.What inspired Ratelle to learn to sew. |
B.What is needed to save koalas and other species. |
C.The poor living conditions of wild animals in Australia. |
D.Different ways to help koalas and other animals in Australia. |
A.Surprised. | B.Calm. | C.Proud. | D.Moved. |
A.Ruined | B.Challenged | C.Reduced | D.Abandoned |
A.People should stay united through difficult times. |
B.Life is not easy for crafters and sewers in Australia. |
C.It is challenging for crafters and sewers to do relief work. |
D.Crafters and sewers can do more to help animals. |
8 . Water keeps us alive. When it runs out, we have a problem.
About one out of four people on the planet are facing a shortage of water. Seventeen countries around the world are dealing with high-water stress. This means they are using almost all the water they have access to. Many are dry countries. Some waste much of their water. Some may currently use too much of their groundwater that they should be saving. Several big cities face acute shortages. These include Sao Paulo, Brazil; Chennai, India; and Cape Town, South Africa. A year ago, Cape Town faced nay Zero-the day when all its dams would he dry.
Climate change adds to the risk of water shortages. Rainfall is less steady. The water supply becomes less reliable. The days grow hotter. More water evaporates(蒸发)from lakes and rivers even as demand for water increases. By 2030, the number of cities in the high-stress category may have risen to 45 and include almost 470 million people.
All over the world, farmers compete with city residents for water. Rich urban places, such as Los Angeles, use too much water for pools and golf courses. But the worst problem is the growth of cities. Bangalore, India, for example, had a few years with little rain. It built over its many lakes or filled them with city waste. The lakes are no longer the rain water storage tanks they once were. Bangalore now imports water. A lot of the imported water, however, gets lost on the way to Bangalore.
To address this issue, what can be done? First, cities can plug leaks in their water distribution system. Wastewater can be recycled. Rain can be harvested and saved for hard times. Lakes and wetlands can be cleaned up and old wells can be restored. And farmers can switch from water-intensive crops like rice to less-thirsty crops like millet(小米).
Experts are looking at ways to reduce the number of people on the planet. They are looking at ways to reduce the size of cities. They are looking for ways to encourage people, factories and farmers to use less water.
1. What can we know from Paragraph 2?A.A quarter of the world's population is living with water shortages. |
B.Nearly all countries are facing acute water shortages now. |
C.Underground water should he used to meet the water demand. |
D.Measures have been taken to deal with the water shortage in India. |
A.Rainfall is not as steady as before. | B.Climate change may lead to water shortages. |
C.The water supply relies more on rainfall. | D.Hotter weather changes the water demand. |
A.Plug leaks in the water distribution system. | B.Clean up lakes and wetlands and restore wells. |
C.Reduce the number of people in the cities. | D.Grow less-water consumption crops instead. |
A.How to prevent from climate change. | B.How to inspire people to save water. |
C.How to recycle wastewater in cities. | D.How to make people get access to clean water. |
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Once I was lucky enough
注意:
1.词数;l20左右;
2.开头和结尾已经给出,但不计入总词数:
3.参考词汇:排放emission
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