The Palace Museum is becoming waste-free as the 720,000-square-meter structure has managed to reduce the number of trash bins to 110 sets in areas open to the public. This is
While
According to China News, so far, four types of trash bins
The museum also recycled more than 32,000 plastic bottles
By launching the campaign, the Palace Museum is taking a careful, science-based way to waste. The target is to minimize the production of waste that needs to be buried or burned
Up to now, about 3,000 museum staff members, 40 000 tourist
2 . In mainland Britain, people who has ever attempted to grow berries or nuts — or indeed feed the bird — will know, doing so is identical to an opening move in a game of chess with local grey squirrels, a game the squirrels tend to win. Grey squirrels are also fond of the occasional bird’s eggs or the young birds, and enjoy tearing and eating the bark of young broadleaf trees, which can either kill the trees or leave them open to infection. This, apart from affecting biodiversity and the landscape, harms the wood industry. The loss — in damaged timber, lost carbon revenue and tree replacements — is not insignificant: £37 a year in England and Wales.
Grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), introduced from North America in 1876, have nearly replaced the native red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) in Britain by outcompeting them for food and habitat. They are larger, and stronger, and resistant to squirrel pox virus, while reds are not. About 3 million now live in the UK; the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the grey squirrel among the top 100 most harmful invasive species in the world.
In Britain, significant efforts have been made to stop grey squirrels’ progress, including trapping, shooting, and releasing pine martens into their habitats. The latest move, a workable system for which was thought to be a decade away, is forbidding the breeding of grey squirrels. However, legal challenges brought so many delays that the invasive grey squirrels. population expanded to an unmanageable level and wiping out was abandoned. The main issue in Britain was thought to be more technological than legal — designing a drug that targets only grey squirrels to prevent them breeding. Another possibility in the years ahead is to use DNA editing to ensure grey females are born unable to give birth.
Obviously, there is a hint of xenophobia (仇外) in some discussions about the introduction of grey squirrels to Britain nearly 150 years ago which has had an impact on the local ecosystem, posing a threat to native species. It’s also worth noting that reds — which also tear bark and take eggs — were seen as pests until the early 1930s, and extensively killed. There is, too, a strong argument that ecosystems evolve naturally, and it may be impractical and unrealistic to intervenes or even resist it. The attraction of controlling the breeding of the grey squirrels is that it is less inhumane, and aims for balance rather than uprooting.
1. What does the author focus on in paragraph one?| A．The harm of grey squirrels. |
| B．The cutting habits of grey squirrels. |
| C．The effect of grey squirrels on the wood industry. |
| D．The game between the British and grey squirrels. |
| A．Their huge number. | B．Their unique origins. |
| C．Their breeding ability. | D．Their physical qualities. |
| A．To offer more labour. | B．To invest more money. |
| C．To perfect the law. | D．To take advantage of technology. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Indifferent. | C．Favorable. | D．Doubtful. |
In the grip of a cold wave, with temperatures plummeting below minus 10 degrees Celsius, the plateau county of Jishishan in Northwest China’s Gansu province was jolted from its slumber midnight Monday by a 6.2-mngnitude earthquake, causing death,
According to a local villager Ding Xiaolong, he was asleep at home when the quake struck. He felt
“I received a call from him after the quake, asking me to check on the situation of his family,” Ding said, adding that he rushed to their house, only to discover that it
As of 10 am Tuesday, a total of 105 were confirmed
Members of the Gansu branch of the Blue Sky Rescue Team,
In Dahejia township,
Once there were two
The Country mouse went to the house of the City mouse. It was a very good house. Nice food was set ready for them to eat. But just as they began to eat, they
After some time they came out. When they came out, the Country mouse said, “I do not like living
1. How many cats does the woman want?
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three |
| A．Black | B．Gray. | C．White. |
| A．Rainy. | B．Clear. | C．Cloudy. |
7 . The world is warming up and humans are the cause, and that means it’s up to us to stop it. The burning of oil and coal is one huge cause, and clean energy (能源) sources are needed greatly if we’re going to make any meaningful changes. But where is all of this clean energy going to come from? Denmark seems to have an idea.
In Europe, Denmark provides more oil than any other country, but that’s going to change. The country has promised to stop oil production within the next 30 years, but that means it’s going to need to get its energy from somewhere else. To that end, Denmark has planned to build a man-made island off its coast.
As Fast Company reports, the plan will include the building of the island itself as well as up to 600 wind turbines (涡轮机) to pick up ocean winds and change them into electricity (电). The island will have a size of 20 football fields and will have turbines around it and send power to huge batteries (电池) that can store power for whenever it’s needed. All told, the island should be able to provide power for as many as three million homes, but as more batteries are added, that stored power could be provided for even more homes and businesses.
“The island is expected to cost about $34 billion, which is really a lot of money. However, as countries begin to use more green energy, the ones that produce more of it will have the chance to sell it to other countries. As oil and coal burning is not allowed worldwide, those that don’t produce enough green energy might be forced to buy up power from their greener neighbors,” said Fast Company.
1. Which of the following words can best describe Denmark’s action?| A．Worrying. | B．Brave. | C．Responsible. | D．Confusing |
| A．An energy center. | B．A living center. |
| C．A research center. | D．A tour center. |
| A．The project will get paid back in the long run. |
| B．The project will attract more countries’ attention. |
| C．They have collected enough money for the project. |
| D．They need other countries’help to finish the project. |
| A．Denmark will become a greener country. |
| B．Denmark is going to stop providing oil. |
| C．Denmark will sell its green energy to other countries. |
| D．Denmark will build a man-made island to produce energy |
8 . The public nowadays has a misunderstanding of forest fires, believing that fires should be kept out of every type of forest. Many of us can recall Smoky the Bear’s famous warning: “Remember, only YOU can prevent forest fires”. However, that’s not always the case. Under the right conditions, and when conducted safely, fire can create many environmental benefits as well as help prevent larger, uncontrollable wildfires.
After a forest fire, many wildlife species will move into recently burned areas to feed on these newly available foods. Some reptiles and amphibians such as the snake prefer forests frequently burned by fire. As Herbert Stoddard put it, “One of the most harmful things modern man has done to birds has been his attempt to exclude fire from fire-type pine (松树) forests. Within a few years most forests choke up with bushes, lose their prairie-like vegetation (草原般植被) and can no longer support birds which depend on periodic burning for their food supply and proper cover.”
If you are asked to picture the forest floor, what do you see? Pine needles, cones, leaves, branches might come to mind — all sources of fuel. If these fuel sources build up without any type of removal, the ‘fuel load’ can lead to fires which are huge disasters to forests and people alike. In contrast, prescribed fires can be used by forest professionals every couple of years to keep forest fuels at a proper and manageable level. They can also greatly reduce the spread of pest insects and disease and remove unwanted tree and plant species. Plus, they can create and maintain important wildlife habitats rich in grasses and promote the growth of trees, wildflowers and other various plants.
Many organizations work to promote fire on the landscape. Smoky Bear even has an updated warning: “Only YOU can prevent wildfires,” as the Forest Service has over the last few decades developed policies and measures to include prescribed fire as a useful tool, as well as continuing their work to prevent and fight wildfires.
1. What can benefit birds according to Herbert Stoddard?| A．Forest bushes. | B．Periodic burning. |
| C．Fuel sources. | D．Pine forests. |
| A．Frequent. | B．Wild. | C．Planned. | D．Damaging. |
| A．To keep the forest in balance. | B．To keep the fuel rich in the forest. |
| C．To put out wildfires. | D．To remove tree and plant species. |
| A．To prevent the use of prescribed fire in the forest. |
| B．To promote the complete exclusion of fire from forests. |
| C．To educate people on positive aspects of controlled fires. |
| D．To encourage the public to remove sources of forest fuels. |
9 . Reading a pup’s body language requires experience and expert guidance. Zazie Todd, a dog trainer and founder of the blog Companion Animal Psychology, weighs in on how to decode dogs’ behaviour.
1. If your dog looks remorseful (羞愧的) when you walk in the door and see a mess…
They’re expecting punishment but don’t necessarily know that what they’ve done is wrong. Alexandra Horowitz, a professor at Barnard College in New York City whose research focuses on canine (犬科) cognition, put that ”guilty” look to the test in 2009.
2. If your dog licks their mouth…
They’re stressed Recently, two European studies have highlighted the meaning of this licking.
3. If you’re at the vet and your dog’s tail is down…
They’re anxious. Obvious signs of an unhappy dog include hiding or trying to leave the exam room, but commonly missed triggers range from a tucked tail and lowered ears to trembling.
4. If your dog leans into you during a petting session…
They like it! If you’re unsure that a dog is enjoying being petted, stop, then gauge their reaction. This is called a consent test. If they choose to wander off, the session is over.
| A．You could also discuss medication with your vet. |
| B．It could be as simple as giving them more physical space. |
| C．However, if they lean on you or paw at you to get more cuddles, continue! |
| D．If your dog gets stressed at appointments, ask what can be done. |
| E．Other signs of discomfort include sniffing the floor, looking away and panting. |
| F．One found that it was a canine response to seeing an angry or aggressive human face on a computer screen |
| G．In the end, it wasn’t linked to whether the dog had transgressed but rather to being scolded by the owner. |
10 . Microplastics are one of the largest environmental problems we face. They are tiny bits of plastics less than 5 mm long. Now a tiny robotic fish that might help tackle one of the problems of plastic pollution has been invented by scientists in China.
The bionic little swimmers have been programmed to wiggle their way through water collecting microplastics as they go. The robofish are only 15mm long. Yet, they can travel quite quickly as they clean. They move by flashing a laser on and off in their tails. It causes the tail to flap side to side which drives the ‘fish’ forward through the water. As they swim along, any nearby microplastics get drawn towards the robots and stick to them.
Not only is their shape inspired by marine life but also is the material they are made out of. Instead of being made out of the traditional materials used for soft robots that can be damaged easily in the water, this one was made from a material that takes inspiration from mother-of-pearl. Mother-of-pearl is found on the inside surface of clam (蛤蜊) shells. As well as attracting microplastics, the material could also heal itself after being cut, still maintaining its ability to absorb microplastics. Because it’s so durable and can swim as fast as it does(for how small it is), the researchers say that it could be used for monitoring microplastics and other pollutants in the hard-to-reach places of complex underwater environments.
Microplastics have been found nearly everywhere. They’ve been found in our oceans, on top of mountains, in some of the food we eat and even in the stomachs of some marine animals. One of the biggest problems with microplastics is, because of their size, they are difficult to clean up. This is especially true of microplastics in the ocean. The scientists hope that their tiny fish-shaped robots can one day help tackle this global problem. At the moment, the robofish are something called proof of concept. It just means that the scientists were able to make something that proves their idea worked.
Now that the team has shown that their idea works, they are going to keep working on it. They hope to create new versions that can dive deeper and absorb more microplastics.
1. Which of the following statements CAN NOT be inferred from the passage?| A．An advanced robofish will be made. |
| B．The robofish won’t be put into the market soon. |
| C．The operating life of the robofish is not short. |
| D．All the microplastics can be removed soon. |
| A．Move from side to side | B．Jump forward. |
| C．Turn over and over. | D．Circle around. |
| A．Where the material of the robofish comes from |
| B．the material and the usage of the robofish |
| C．mother-of-pearl giving the tip for the material of the robofish |
| D．both the shape and the material of the robofish are inspired by nature |
| A．Mother-of-Pearl Found to Help Dissolve Plastics |
| B．Tiny Robo-crabs Programmed to Absorb Microplastics |
| C．Scientists in England Create Microplastic Attracting Robot Fish |
| D．Robotic Microplastic Absorbing Robot Fish Created by Scientists |
