| A．Sunny. | B．Snowy. | C．Rainy. |
2 . Every few years, snowshoe hare (白靴兔) numbers in the Canadian Yukon climb to a peak. As hare populations increase, so do those of their predators (捕食者): lynxes and coyotes. Then hare populations fall and their predators start to die off. The cycle is a famous phenomenon among ecologists and has been studied since the 1920s.
In recent years, though, researchers have found hare numbers fall from their peak not just because predators eat too many of them. Long-lasting stress from living surrounded by killers causes mother hares to eat less food and bear fewer babies. The trauma (创伤) of living through such threats causes lasting changes in brain chemistry, keeping the hares from reproducing at normal levels.
And it’s not just snowshoe hares, as behavioral ecologists Liana Zanette and Michael Clinchy, who study what they call the ecology of fear, have shown. They’ve found that fear of predators can cause other wild mammals (哺乳动物) and songbirds to bear and raise fewer young. The offspring of frightened voles and song sparrows are less likely to succeed in reproducing. These findings add to a growing body of evidence showing that fearful experiences can have long-lasting effects on wildlife and suggesting that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is not only unique to humans, but shared among other creatures.
Rudy Boonstra, a population ecologist at the University of Toronto, sees the response of snowshoe hares as an adaptation that allows the animals to make the best of a bad situation. Animals stressed by many predators spend more time hiding and less time feeding, so they produce fewer young but that may allow more adult hares to survive to rebuild the population when the cycle starts again.
Despite the evidence that a wide range of animals experience the long-term impacts of extreme stress, some psychologists still hold their human-centric(以人为本的) view of PTSD. “It is defined in terms of human responses,” says neurobiologist David Diamond. “There is no biological measure - you can’t get a blood test that says someone has PTSD. This is a psychological disease, and that’s why I call it a human disorder. Because a rat can’t tell you how it feels.”
1. What did researchers find about snowshoe hares lately?| A．Their predators are in danger of dying out. |
| B．Their numbers decline partly because of stress. |
| C．Their safety is threatened by lynxes and coyotes. |
| D．Their populations rise and fall every few years. |
| A．PTSD exists among wild animals. |
| B．It is hard for animals to remember trauma. |
| C．Snowshoe hares suffer more than other mammals. |
| D．Birds attract fewer predators than land animals do. |
| A．PTSD is a uniquely human problem. | B．Blood tests help identify animals’ PTSI. |
| C．PTSD is a normal adaptive response. | D．More animals are suffering from PTSD |
| A．The Population of Snowshoe Hares Is Increasing Sharply |
| B．Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Protects Snowshoe Hares |
| C．Post-traumatic Stress Disorder May Not Be Unique to Humans |
| D．The Protection of Snowshoe Hares Is Urgent |
3 . In 1960, Jane Goodall, a British animal scientist, observed chimpanzees (黑猩猩) in Gombe National Park in Tanzania. At that point, it was thought that only humans had the ability to create and use tools, but the chimpanzees were using slim grass to fish termites (白蚁). Louis Leakey, who is Ms Goodall’s mentor, thought, “Now we must redefine tool, redefine man, or accept chimpanzees as humans.”
Since then the distinction between animals and humans has become increasingly delicate. In addition to tool-making, chimpanzees display emotion and self-awareness. Studies show that elephants feel sad and pigs form strong friendships.
In The Creative Life of Animals, Carol Gigliotti, a professor at Emily Carr University of Art and Design, has conducted research that examines such behaviour through the point of creativity.
This requires a more generous definition of creativity, for it is not a trait obviously exhibited by a dog or a fly. Ms Gigliotti suggests getting rid of humankind’s “master of the universe” opinion to consider creativity from the animals’ point of view. “If animals in their own cultures can solve problems or create products of value to them, it seems accurate to consider these as creative,” she writes.
Beaver dams (海狸水坝) are a case in point: there is no single structure for their construction. Each river or lake has its unique features and beavers create a custom-made structure to adapt to the given habitat—so, in the author’s idea, dams deserve to be considered a creative enterprise.
Ms Gigliotti says it would be an error to assume that animal creativity has to match the human version, though some examples turn out to be appealing to the human eye. Though a book about creativity, the author frequently discusses animal emotion and intelligence. She argues that animal personality is not limited to monkeys, dogs or cats. There are hundreds of thousands of studies on animal characters and they include ants, fish and mice. The book makes its strongest case when advocating a revision of how to think about and act towards animals.
1. What can we know about chimpanzees from the first paragraph?| A．They can use tools to find food. |
| B．They can copy human’s behaviour. |
| C．They can recognize food sources. |
| D．They are the most intelligent animals. |
| A．Pattern. | B．Area. | C．Characteristic. | D．Image. |
| A．Beavers are creative builders. |
| B．Human is the master of the universe. |
| C．Animal emotions are hard to understand. |
| D．Animal creativity has to match the human version. |
| A．A diary. | B．A book review. | C．A novel. | D．A news report. |
A complete skeleton (骨架) of an animal, which was later confirmed to be that of a giant panda, was unearthed at
The skeleton had well-developed teeth, and was placed within a neatly
The researchers thought this giant panda might have originated from the forests on the northern side of the Qinling Mountains, where the climate was possibly
Back in 1975, a buried giant panda
Besides the giant panda, the remains of other rare animals were also found in the tomb,
5 . On Sunday, Ecuador held a special vote on whether oil drilling (钻探) should be allowed in Yasuni National Park. The vote was part of a larger election to choose the country’s next president. Nearly 60% of Ecuadorian voters chose to protect the park.
In 2007, to protect the area, Rafael Correa — Ecuador’s president at the time — offered to leave the oil in the ground. In exchange, he wanted the rest of the world to pay Ecuador $3.6 billion. Though Mr. Correa worked hard to find support for his idea, no group offered to pay the money.
In 2016, Ecuador’s state oil company, Petroecuador, began drilling in Yasuni. The company is drilling in a fairly small area known as Block 43. Block 43 makes up far less than 1% of the park, but it produces about 55,000 barrels of oil every day.
But the drilling has upset many people in Ecuador. Yasunidos is a group which works to protect the park. For over ten years, Yasunidos has worked to allow Ecuador’s people a chance to vote on oil drilling in Yasuni. In May, Yasunidos won a court case that allowed them to put the Yasuni drilling up for a vote.
On Sunday, voters were asked if they supported oil drilling in the park or were against it. When the votes were counted, about 59% of the voters chose to stop drilling in Yasuni. Just 41% supported it.
Yasunidos called the vote “a historic success for Ecuador and for the planet!” But the result is a disappointment for Ecuador’s president, Guillermo Lasso. He believes the oil money is extremely important for the country. Selling oil from Yasuni brings in about $1.2 billion a year.
The government won’t be able to ignore or change the results of the vote, and will now have about a year and a half to end the drilling. Petroecuador says it will cost about $500 million to stop drilling and clean up the operation.
1. What was Rafael Correa’s original plan?| A．Drilling oil in Yasuni. | B．Selling oil to the world. |
| C．Getting support from the president. | D．Getting paid for not drilling oil. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Uninterested. | C．Opposed. | D．Supportive. |
| A．The environment will get destroyed. |
| B．The country will suffer economic loss. |
| C．It will meet with the locals’ opposition. |
| D．It will be encouraged by the government. |
| A．Yasuni National Park Is Being Polluted |
| B．Ecuador Votes to End Drilling in Yasuni National Park |
| C．New President Will Come into Power in Ecuador |
| D．Oil Drilling Becomes Major Supporting Industry |
When it comes to traveling in China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the Li River is one of the destinations tourists won’t miss. However, with the number of tourists increasing, the river’s water
The waste water treatment facilities have been constructed, which has helped improve the water quality and water
What is the most amazing is that the “Water Ten Plan” is now tackling water pollution across the country. With such campaigns
7 . Scalloped hammerhead sharks (扇贝锤头鲨) hold their breath to keep their bodies warm while they’re diving into cold water, a study has found.
Researchers from the University of Hawaii knew that scalloped hammerhead sharks do deep dives at night. They assumed that the sharks dove to hunt, since they had found deep-water squid (乌贼) in the stomachs of some sharks. However, hammerheads are cold-blooded, which means their temperature is controlled by their environment rather than their bodies. Getting very cold affects how well the animals’ brains and muscles can work. With temperatures in the deep ocean as low as 41°F(about 5°C), the scientists were confused as to how the sharks could do these deep dives and come back unharmed. To find out more, scientist Mark Royer and his team caught three hammerhead sharks. They attached instruments to the sharks’ fins (鳍) in order to take the temperature of the water and record the sharks’ speed and movements. The instruments showed that the sharks dove to about 2, 600 feet below the surface. However, the animals’ body temperature didn’t drop until they started to return to the surface of the water. The scientists think they might be able to explain why.
Like most fish, sharks get their oxygen from water, which washes through gills (鳃) on the side of their heads. Inside the gills, lots of blood vessels absorb oxygen from the water. Because blood temperature affects body temperature, the gills are the area in which the shark is most likely to lose heat. Royer said that if the deep-diving sharks didn’t get cold, they must have closed their gills. In other words, they were holding their breath as they dove, just like humans do when they swim underwater.
Video footage of a shark swimming more than 3, 000 feet deep with closed gills seems to prove the theory. Other scientists want to study the question more closely, however, because fish’s bodies aren’t usually adapted to hold their breath. Royer called the finding a “complete surprise”.
1. Why do scalloped hammerhead sharks dive deep?| A．To find food. | B．To stay cold. | C．To hold breath. | D．To keep healthy. |
| A．Catching younger sharks. | B．Providing oxygen for sharks. |
| C．Monitoring sharks’ condition. | D．Keeping sharks from being harmed. |
| A．the gills are closed. | B．they hold their breath. |
| C．blood vessels absorb oxygen. | D．they hunt for food |
8 . Coral reefs in Florida have lost an estimated 90% of their corals in the last 40 years. This summer, a marine heat wave hit Florida’s coral reefs. The record high temperatures created an extremely stressful environment for the coral reefs, which are currently also experiencing intense coral bleaching (白化).
A coral is an animal, which has a symbiotic relationship with a microscopic algae (藻类). The algae gets energy from the sun and shares it with the coral internally. The coral builds a rock-like structure, which makes up most of the reef, providing homes and food for many organisms that live there. Coral bleaching is when the symbiotic relationship breaks down. Without the algae, the corals appear white because the rock skeleton becomes visible. If the bleaching continues for an extended period, the corals can starve to death without the energy.
Florida is on the front lines of climate change. It is also on the cutting edge of restoration science. Many labs, institutions and other organizations are working nonstop to protect and maintain the coral reefs. This includes efforts to understand what is troubling the reef, from disease outbreaks to coastal development impacts. It also includes harvesting coral spawn (卵), or growing and planting coral parts. Scientists moved many coral nurseries into deeper water and shore-based facilities during this marine heat wave. They are digging into the DNA of the coral to discover which species will survive best in future.
There are some bright spots in the story, however. Some corals have recovered from the bleaching, and many did not bleach at all. In addition, researchers recorded coral spawning. Although it’s not clear yet whether the larvae (幼虫) will be successful in the wild, it’s a sign of recovery potential. If the baby corals survive, they will be able to regrow the reef. They just have to avoid one big boss: human-induced climate change.
1. What does the underlined word “symbiotic” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Reliable. | B．Opposite. | C．Harmonious. | D．Contradictory. |
| A．The rock skeleton. | B．The microscopic algae. |
| C．The high temperatures. | D．The symbiotic relationship. |
| A．Transferring coral nurseries. | B．Growing and planting coral spawn. |
| C．Researching the DNA of the coral. | D．Figuring out the reasons for problems. |
| A．Identifiable. | B．Predictable. | C．Far-reaching. | D．Effective. |
9 . Having lived in California until 1970, my family has felt a number of earthquakes. We have been fortunate, however, to have suffered no bodily harm or property damage.
There is a website that lists all California earthquakes recorded from 1769 to the present. The site lists the dates and times as well as the magnitude(震级) and the exact location of any quake that measured more than 6.0.
There are only a few quakes that stand out in my memory and, luckily, none is shown in the website. So, my personal experience with earthquakes might be considered insignificant.
There are three earthquakes that are difficult to forget. The first one was in 1955 and our oldest daughter was walking with me in our backyard in Redwood City in California. As the shaking became stronger I held her to me with one arm as I held on to one of our fruit trees with the other. All three of us (my daughter, I and the tree) shook for two or three minutes that to us felt like hours.
The second one was in 1963.Our entire family was visiting Disneyland in Southern California. The earth started to shake just as we were beginning to walk from our hotel toward the famous landmark.
My third experience with an earthquake was a lonely one in California. It was in my sixties and I was alone in an old church.As the building started to shake, I quickly headed for the door to go outside. I remember I said a little prayer—something like, “Help me get out of here in time, Dear Heavenly Father”. Minutes later, I was safe outside.
1. The author writes the passage mainly to tell us about ________ .| A．a new film about an earthquake | B．how to survive an earthquake |
| C．his three earthquake experiences | D．how to save children in an earthquake |
| A．all caused bodily harm | B．are all recorded in a website |
| C．all measured more than 6.0 | D．all happened in California |
| A．was staying with his daughter | B．was planting fruit trees |
| C．held on to a tree for hours | D．was in a hotel |
| A．A church. | B．Disneyland. |
| C．A building destroyed by an earthquake. | D．The place where the author was born. |
| A．Hot. | B．Warm. | C．Cold. |
