1 . The humble honey bee is responsible for up to 80 per cent of plant pollination (授粉) worldwide. But population numbers are in steep decline because of habitat loss, pesticides and pollution — threatening our food security. One startup has identified a potential solution — the common hoverfly (食蚜蝇).
UK-based designer Tashia Tucker has created an AI-based technology called Olombria, which encourages hoverflies to increase their pollination levels to match that of bees. Although flies perform approximately 30 percent of the world’s pollination, they aren’t as efficient as bees, often getting distracted and “wandering off” before they can carry pollen between plants.
Olombria is a solution — an AI pollination system that encourages hoverflies to pollinate targeted sites when the plants are in bloom (鲜花盛开). The system consists of sensors, cameras and chemical signaling devices placed within specified areas of an orchard or field. It starts by collecting data on the level and diversity of pollinators in a grower’s field as well as pollination effectiveness.
This information, combined with other environmental data — time, the location and temperature, allows the system to paint an overall picture of pollinator health and then take action. “We first provide that baseline data,” Tucker explains, “so we have an understanding of where there are deficiencies (缺乏) and areas that need to be improved, and then we distribute our natural chemical signaling from the device.”
Depending on what areas of an orchard need pollinating, Olombria’s AIcloud system triggers chosen devices to release organic chemicals that encourage hoverflies to move towards those specific areas. “The chemicals do not change what the flies would naturally do, but target their location and increase the amount of pollen that they’re picking up and transferring,” Tucker explains.
The hoverflies work in cooperation with the bees and, through Tucker’s research, she’s found that the hoverflies even encourage bees to become more efficient pollinators. “There’s a bit of competition; it focuses the bees’ pollination as there’s another insect in the area,” says Tucker.
As a designer, Tucker initially designed Olombria’s device to look like a fruit to reflect the ethos (气质) of the design. “When I started working with farmers, I knew I needed to design the technology to be strong enough to stay out in the field and in various weather conditions,” says Tucker. Since then, Tucker has changed the design and is exploring what colors work well with insects. “As we start to streamline the technology, it is becoming more refined,” Tucker explains. “As an AI system, it’s great, as it’s just getting smarter as the technology develops.”
1. Why are hoverflies not so efficient at plant pollination?| A．Most of them don’t know how to pollinate plants. |
| B．They can hardly focus on their pollinating work. |
| C．They have great difficulty carrying pollen. |
| D．The population of them is declining. |
| A．Take pictures of plants in a field. | B．Examine overall plant health there. |
| C．Choose chemical signaling devices. | D．Get basic facts about pollinators there. |
| A．To attract hoverflies to a certain area. | B．To change pollinators’ behavior. |
| C．To make pollen attractive to hoverflies. | D．To locate the position of pollinators. |
| A．To deal with pollination crisis quickly. | B．To make it attractive in appearance. |
| C．To meet the demands of AI systems. | D．To make it as practical as possible. |
2 . Cuckoos (布谷鸟) are masters of cheating. When it comes to raising young, they don’t spend the energy building a nest, protecting eggs or feeding children. Instead the female passes these roles on to other birds. They don’t raise their own young. Usually, they lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, fooling other birds into thinking the cuckoo eggs are theirs.
To succeed in doing this, a female cuckoo watches over her chosen nest to observe feeding times. When the host parent leaves its nest in search of food, the cuckoo quickly lays her eggs among those already in the nest. Sometimes, she will even destroy and remove one of the host’s eggs to make room for her own.
Cuckoos are medium-sized birds with long tails, and often have gray or brown backs. When they hatch (孵化) and begin to grow in a host’s nest, the difference between the two can be obvious to an onlooker. Often the cuckoo is twice the size of its foster (收养的) parents, but still continues to receive food from them.
The cuckoo imposter (冒名顶替者) is usually the only baby bird that the host parent has to care for. This is because when the cuckoo hatches after around 11 days, it gets rid of all the other eggs in the nest. It will lift each egg onto its back before throwing them one by one over the edge of the nest. Even then, the non-biological parent will continue to treat it as one of its own.
Also, cuckoos have developed to produce eggs that are similar in color to their main hosts’. This reduces the chances of eggs being attacked. Female cuckoos have been known to take host birds’ attention away after laying their eggs by producing a noise similar to Eurasian sparrowhawks, scaring birds away from returning to the nest and allowing time for the cuckoo to make her escape unnoticed.
1. What do mother cuckoos usually do when it comes to raising their young?| A．Attend to eggs. | B．Build a new nest. | C．Depend on other birds. | D．Learn feeding skills. |
| A．Other cuckoos. | B．Baby cuckoos. | C．Birth parents. | D．Host parents. |
| A．It usually hatches out earlier than the other eggs in the nest. |
| B．It throws all the other eggs out of nest with its mother’s help. |
| C．It often makes a noise to scare other birds away from the nest. |
| D．It looks much larger than other eggs in the nest before hatching. |
| A．How cuckoos fool other birds. | B．How cuckoos protect their children. |
| C．How cuckoos destroy others’ nests. | D．How cuckoos produce eggs in host nests. |
3 . Some 15 years ago, in the beautiful Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, an organic (有机的) farmer separate his cows among two fields, one of which was near the beach. Overtime, Joe Dorgan noticed that his cows by the ocean were in better shape than other cows. They were producing more milk, had fewer diseases and were highly reproductive. They seemed to be all-around happier animals.
The only difference he could see between the two kinds was that the happier ones could reach the beach and were eating seaweed. So Dorgan carried seaweed across the road for his land-locked cows to see if it would make a difference. Before long, those cows were catching up with their seaside ones. He then sold his farm to start a new company, North Atlantic Organics, selling organic sea plant products to local farmers.
He knew he was on to something big. But he had no idea that what he had noticed about his cows’ new diet was about to give the world a potentially significant weapon in the fight against climate change.
One of the scientists, Rob Kinley, was researching ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (排放) in animals by changing their diet.
On average, one cow can give off the same amount of greenhouse (温室) gas as one car. About 15 percent of global greenhouse gases are made up of methane from animals when digesting (消化) the food. With Dorgan’ s seaweed mix in hand, Kinley started measuring emissions from the cows. What he discovered was an 18 percent reduction in methane emissions compared with non-seaweed-eating cows.
It was a moment of light, and a global search for an even more efficient (高效的) seaweed began. The potential for the seaweed to reduce the world’ s greenhouse gas output is great, and the hope is that cows will be feeding on Future Feed — the commercial product developed by CSIRO, Meat and Livestock Australia, and James Cook University — by the end of 2022.
1. Why is the story of Joe Dorgan and his cows mentioned?| A．To raise a doubt. | B．To lead to the topic. |
| C．To praise a farmer. | D．To respond to the problem. |
| A．A dangerous food harmful to the animals. |
| B．A dangerous food harmful to the humans. |
| C．A kind of chemical harmful to the food. |
| D．A kind of chemical harmful to the environment. |
| A．One cow can be as bad as one car for the environment. |
| B．Animals give off more greenhouse gases than expected. |
| C．Seaweed-eating cows are friendlier to the environment. |
| D．Non-seaweed-eating cows give off 18% lower greenhouse gas. |
| A．A Potentially Significant Weapon in the Fight against Climate Change |
| B．An Unusually Smart Farmer in the Fight against Global Greenhouse Gas |
| C．The Specially Efficient Seaweed in the Fight for More Milk from the Cows |
| D．The World-changing Research in the Fight for More Commercial Future Feed |
4 . Kwane Stewart stepped outside a Modesto, California, convenience store with his morning coffee and noticed a homeless man, Tom Bissell, sitting with his back against the building. A small dog sat in his lap. Stewart, a vet (兽医) at an animal hospital, noticed its injured fur and skin. He approached the man and offered to bring medication for the dog's skin, a gift the man readily accepted.
“I remember returning a week later, and the hair was coming back the rash (皮疹) was gone,” Stewart told the Modesto Bee. Tom said his dog was finally sleeping at night again because it was no longer feeling restless for its illness. “‘And you know,’ he said, ‘I’m sleeping at night.’ He started to cry, and that got me touched too,” Stewart says.
Stewart was addicted. “When you do good deeds, there is something you get in return that feels much larger. I knew I wanted to keep doing it, "he told medium.com.
Today, Stewart, 50, has his own practice in town, yet he still finds time for street pets. He's helped roughly 400 animals since 2011.
There's a great need for his kind of help. About 25 percent of Modesto's homeless population owns a pet, but there are few healthcare options available to them. To fill that gap, Stewart can often be found wandering dark streets and underpasses (地下通道), anywhere he thinks the homeless might be camped out. Stewart pays for almost all of it out of his own pocket. For those expensive procedures, he set up a GoFundMe account to help cover treatment costs. “I don't ever want to have to turn anybody away,” he explains.
“To have somebody like Dr. Stewart come out here to take care of my dog just because it's the right thing to do, that's huge.” Joe, one of the dog owners, said in a video that Stewart posted on the GoFundMe page.
1. How did Kwane Stewart help Tom Bissell's dog?| A．By offering mental comfort. | B．By providing medical treatment. |
| C．By introducing some famous vets. | D．By bringing it to an animal hospital. |
| A．The professional habit of a vet. | B．The tough situation the homeless faced. |
| C．The requirements from the animal hospital. | D．The inspiration from offering help to Tom. |
| A．Rich and caring. | B．Smart and humorous. |
| C．Kind and generous. | D．Brave and intelligent. |
| A．Vets are in great need. | B．Stewart rose to fame overnight. |
| C．Street pets deserve due treatment. | D．A vet's kind act brings big impact. |
5 . The village of Misfat al-Abriyeen has changed its fortunes by transforming mud-brick homes into fine hotels. The village of 800 people, located on the cliffs of Oman’s “Grand Canyon“, opened its narrow streets six years ago to foreigners and locals seeking adventure in the deserts and green corners of the Gulf area.
Villager Yacoub al-Abri said it all started in 2010 when his uncle suggested they take another look at the mud houses that had lain ignored for years in the ancient settlement about three hours’ drive from the capital Muscat. The owners had abandoned the centuries-old homes, fearing they could topple, and moved to the opposite side of the village where they built new accommodation.
The brown-walled homes, made of mud bricks with palm-leave roofs, were tuned into simple but elegant inns with wood furniture and handcrafts made using sill banded down from their ancestors.“We started with only five rooms, then we increased the number and bought other old houses. Today we have 15 rooms and there are plans to continue expanding until we reach 50,” Abri said.
At an altitude of more than 1,000 meters, the tiny village which is home to the Abri tribe is a charming collection of traditional houses located along dozens of small alleys (小巷) overlooking lands bursting with banana plants and citrus and palm trees. It is part of a region known as the Grand Canyon of Oman where tourists can hike the rocky mountains and valleys, and explore the old ways of local people. The region is also famed for its centuries-old stories that are still widely told in similar villages across the country.
Renoda, a Dutch psychologist living in Muscat, was visiting with three of her friends. “It’s perhaps the 10th time that I have visited this hotel since last year. I come here for a night or two every month, seeking calm, relaxation and comfort,” she told AFP.
1. What does the underlined word “topple” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Move. | B．Shrink. | C．Disappear. | D．Fall. |
| A．Splendid. | B．Outdated. | C．Traditional. | D．Ordinary. |
| A．The unique lifestyle of the local people. |
| B．The special location of the small village. |
| C．The introduction of the history of the village. |
| D．The attractive features of the small village. |
| A．She lives a busy life in the city. |
| B．She enjoys adventurous traveling. |
| C．She visits the villagers as part of her work. |
| D．She wants to settle down in this village permanently. |
6 . Whether it be a person, an animal, or even an insect, a mother’s instincts (本能) are never wrong. This idea rings true for a mother cat who acted fast and sought out help when her kittens were in trouble. This mother cat’s quick thinking may have just saved her babies.
In the urban district of Izmir in western Turkey, a cat walked into a regular hospital bolding a kitten in her mouth. As the mother cat moved through the hospital, people were surprised to see such a sight, but let her pass. The mother cat asked for help, crying for a long time. She was familiar to the hospital staff, who had been leaving her food and water outside, but they were unaware that she had given birth to kittens.
The mother cat was concerned for her young because they weren’t able to open their eyes. After the doctors looked at the kittens, they noticed that they were suffering from eye infections. One of the doctors recalls, “We consulted with vets (兽医) and gave medicine as described. When the kittens opened their eyes a short time later, we were excited.” Later, they were sent to an animal hospital for further care. The cats are now up for adoption and will hopefully find loving forever homes.
When it comes to mother cats and kittens, kittens completely depend on mothers for the first few months of their lives. Because they are blind and almost deaf until about two or three weeks old, the mother cat must protect them from any threat or danger. Without the mother cat’s help, the kittens may not make it to adulthood.
As shown by the mother cat in Turkey, a mother’s love and protection knows no bounds. Whether the mom is a human or a cat, mothers will always look out for their babies and make sure they are safe and healthy.
1. Why did the mother cat show up in the hospital?| A．To beg for food. | B．To get her babies treated. |
| C．To express thanks. | D．To give birth to her babies. |
| A．They built them a home. | B．They adopted all of them. |
| C．They operated on them immediately. | D．They gave them right medicine. |
| A．Their physical state. | B．Their eating habit. |
| C．Their appearance. | D．Their behavior. |
| A．cat has nine lives. | B．One good turn deserves another. |
| C．Love makes a difference. | D．God helps those who help themselves. |
7 . Scientists recently have announced a new primate species-Popa langur, a medium-sized leaf-eating monkey living in central Myanmar.
Popa langur-named for an extinct volcano home to its largest population of about 100 individuals-has been around for at least a million year, according to a study published in Zoological Research.
In fact, the newest monkey species was not found during an expedition or spotted by a research team, but was discovered in the backrooms of the London Natural History Museum. The senior author of the study, Frank Momberg, and his colleagues conducted a genetic analysis of a sample of monkey feces (粪便) collected in the forests of central Myanmar and Compared it with specimens (标本) from Myanmar gathered almost a century ago in the museum, only to find out that the previously unknown langur was still roaming (在……漫步)in the wild.
Scientists set up cameras in the forest hoping to get a glimpse of the creature. In 2018, the monkey was finally filmed, revealing its distinctive coloration.
Although it’s exciting news for scientists to find a new species, after investigation, they found the total number of Popa langur is about 200 to 250, which will likely mean the new species is “critically endangered”. Additional field surveys and protection measures are urgently required to save the langurs from extinction.
The discovery of Popa langur also brings people’s attention to new species identification.
Actually, species are not clearly divided as we learned in school. Scientists define a species by whether the animals are able to produce fertile offspring (后代) together. Another way is to use genetic information, which is mainly used to define a species that is genetically distinguished from another but still shares a clear ancestor.
When scientists announce a newly defined species based on genetic evidence, it usually means they have elevated (提升为) an alrealy defined subspecies to the species level. The Popa langur, for example, was previously classified as a member of a specific group of langur monkeys.
It can be controversial to elevate a subspecies into a new species based on genetic information,like Popa langur. Some scholars dismiss these discoveries. But others think without a unique name and estimated population, these small groups cannot get enough conservation funding and may eventually disappear without anyone knowing it.
1. Which of the following is the key factor in discovering the new monkey species?| A．The examination of the sample of monkey feces collected. |
| B．The study of the specimens preserved in the museum. |
| C．A comparative analysis of the sample and specimens. |
| D．A comparison of the film shot in the forest with the specimens. |
| A．The significance of the discovery of Popa langur. |
| B．The reasons scientists define Popa langur as a new species. |
| C．The relationship between species and subspecies. |
| D．Different methods to identify a new species. |
| A．Objective | B．Indifferent | C．subjective | D．Pessimisic |
| A．To report on the discovery of Popa langur. |
| B．To inform us of the importance of genetic studies. |
| C．To raise funds to preserve langur monkeys. |
| D．To compare different monkey species. |
8 . Cats and many other animals can reflect light from their eyes. That’s why their eyes will usually shine brightly in photos taken in a less bright room.
Some species can see better in low light because they either hunt for food or need to look out for enemies throughout the night, or at the early morning and late afternoon.
In fact, domesticated (家养的) cats can see in conditions that are only 16% as bright as what people require. Cats achieve this because their pupils (瞳孔) are special. Pupils operate like windows, with bigger ones letting more light into the eye. And a cat’s pupils can become up to 50% larger than human pupils in weak light.
They also have a higher number of a specific type of light-sensing cell in the back of their eyes than we do. These cells, called rods, catch low-level light.
What’s more, cats have something people don’t: a tapetum lucidum, or eyeshine, which is behind the retina (视网膜), receiving light, changing the light to an electrical signal and sending this signal to the brain to form the image. A cat’s tapetum lucidum reflect light back to the retina, which gives the retina a second chance to absorb more light.
Unfortunately, animals with a tapetum lucidum give up some visual quality for their ability to see in weak light. That’s because bright light reflecting off he tapetum lucidum can make what they see a little more unclear. So, a cat needs to be seven times closer to an object to see it as sharply as a person would in a brightly lit place.
But don’t worry, I’m sure your cat would rather see clearly at night than read a book.
1. In photos taken in dark rooms, we find cats’ eyes shining brightly mainly because ________.| A．their eyes can send light like a car's headlights |
| B．they need to fight enemies with lights in the dark |
| C．they have the habit of hunting for food at night |
| D．they have the ability to reflect light from their eyes |
| A．Pupils. | B．Rods. | C．Retinas. | D．Tapetum lucidums. |
| A．By analyzing causes. | B．By providing examples. |
| C．By explaining a concept. | D．By drawing comparisons. |
| A．Failing to approach the goal. | B．Missing the chance of reading. |
| C．Seeing clearly in the bright light. | D．Losing some visual quality. |
9 . A black cat was regarded as a hero recently. It helped rescuers find his 83-year-old owner who had
Tamar Longmuir, 38, says she was informed of her
“The cat is very
“She had gone through the barbed wire fence (倒刺铁丝围栏) and was
“Piran the cat
| A．hidden | B．stepped | C．jumped | D．fallen |
| A．missing | B．dead | C．grateful | D．sick |
| A．strangely | B．hopelessly | C．immediately | D．surprisingly |
| A．blamed | B．joined | C．connected | D．directed |
| A．mentioned | B．noticed | C．remembered | D．understood |
| A．familiar | B．kind | C．attached | D．special |
| A．search | B．water | C．clear | D．measure |
| A．laughter | B．breath | C．call | D．whisper |
| A．equal | B．difficult | C．ready | D．common |
| A．lying | B．reading | C．sleeping | D．playing |
| A．information | B．permission | C．money | D．help |
| A．shelter | B．hospital | C．safety | D．home |
| A．Through | B．Despite | C．For | D．Without |
| A．checked | B．left | C．recognized | D．settled |
| A．excited | B．saved | C．ruined | D．protected |
10 . Dogs can smell fear, but can they smell out the truth? It turns out, dogs are pretty good at picking up on human behavior. A team led by Akiko Takaoka of Kyoto University in Japan conducted a study which found out that dogs actually know if you’re to be believed or not.
The study involved tricking dogs in the name of science. Humans have known for a long time that if you point at an object, a dog will run to it. Researchers applied this information in their study. During the experiment, they pointed at a container that was filled with hidden food. Sure enough, the dog ran towards the container. Then, they pointed at a container that was empty. The dogs ran towards it, but found that it had no food. The third time the researchers pointed at a container with food, the dogs refused to go there. They knew the person pointing wasn’t reliable based on their previous experience. 36 dogs were used in the experiment, and every single dog wouldn’t go towards the container the third time. This experiment proves that dogs can spot a liar or that dogs have major trust issues.
In other words, if you lie to your dog, your dog forms the opinion that your words aren’t good and will behave accordingly. “Dogs have more complex social intelligence than we thought. This social intelligence evolved selectively in their long life history with humans,” said Takaoka, who was also surprised that dogs were quick when they “devalued the reliability of a human.”
John Bradshaw of the University of Bristol in the UK, who wasn’t involved in this study, says that the results indicate that dogs prefer predictability. When gestures are inconsistent, dogs tend to become nervous and stressed. The researchers plan to repeat the experiment with wolves to look into the “effects of domestication” on dogs.
1. What does Takaoka’s study focus on?| A．Dogs’ relationship with humans. | B．Dogs’ reaction when cheated. |
| C．Whether dogs can recognize lies. | D．Whether dogs can smell fear. |
| A．12 dogs were tested each time. |
| B．Researchers took advantage of dogs’ habits. |
| C．The same container was used in the three stages. |
| D．Dogs were trained to smell out food before the experiment. |
| A．They are more intelligent than humans. | B．They used to devalue humans’ reliability. |
| C．They have evolved high social intelligence. | D．They react quickly to humans’ gestures. |
| A．Wolves tend to get used to inconsistency. |
| B．Wolves can be domesticated like dogs. |
| C．Dogs are good at predicting human behavior. |
| D．Dogs are easily influenced by changes. |
