1 . Late one evening, I noticed that Lazarus, my beloved German Shepherd, was not acting like himself. He began walking around and just couldn’t
Examinations were taken, and he appeared to be
Luckily, Lazarus stood up and recovered! No one, especially the doctor, expected him to make such a(n)
A.put down | B.settle down | C.watch over | D.get over |
A.trip | B.call | C.pill | D.test |
A.stable | B.serious | C.sleepy | D.thrilled |
A.attack | B.discomfort | C.damage | D.surgery |
A.reused | B.overcome | C.acknowledged | D.needed |
A.forced | B.ordered | C.recommended | D.requested |
A.clinic | B.yard | C.shelter | D.box |
A.most dangerous | B.strangest | C.longest | D.most expensive |
A.abuse | B.strike | C.cry | D.pray |
A.hardly | B.willingly | C.relatively | D.absolutely |
A.pull through | B.take care | C.come along | D.break out |
A.hurt | B.sank | C.recovered | D.melted |
A.responses | B.values | C.chances | D.desires |
A.raised | B.trembled | C.changed | D.broke |
A.deal | B.wish | C.improvement | D.difference |
2 . Fly on a lamp on a summer evening and, within minutes, insects will begin to gather near the lamp. This behavior has given rise to a popular simile (比喻) that describes attraction: “like a moth (蛾) to a flame.” Though insects have been “drawn” toward bright light sources for a long time, scientists never truly understood why. Now, they may finally have an answer.
Insects aren’t attracted to artificial lights, according to a new paper published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications. Rather, the glow (光) might be interfering with their natural sense of direction. The insects you see circling street lights, in other words, are likely lost.
The new finding depends on a theory about navigation. When insects fly, they can experience whole body acceleration up to five times greater than the acceleration caused by gravity. As such, it can be difficult for them to know which way is up and which way is down as they fly through the air.
The study authors suspect insects rely on the glow coming from stars, planets and the moon to reorient (定方向) themselves. For most of Earth’s history, the sky was the brightest source of light at night, so flying insects turned their bodies to make their backs face skyward. But then, artificial light entered the picture.
To reach these conclusions, scientists used high-resolution cameras to film insects flying around artificial lights in Costa Rica. They also attached tiny sensors to dragonflies and moths, then filmed motion-capture videos of them in flight. Together, these methods allowed researchers to slow down the insects’ normally fast pace and study their movements in greater detail. The footage showed insects turning their backs toward sources of artificial light — even at the price of crashing.
If the light’s above them, they might start orbiting it. When they fly directly over a light, they fly themselves upside down and that can lead to crashes. It really suggests that the moth is confused as to which way is up. After running some experiments, researchers determined that light shining straight down provided the least disruption to insects’ flight. Lights that pointed straight up, on the other hand, caused the most difficulties.
1. What does the underlined word “interfering” in Paragraph 2 most probably mean?A.Disturbing. | B.Boosting. | C.Restoring. | D.Balancing. |
A.Body acceleration weakens for them in flight. |
B.Light from stars is harmful to their navigation. |
C.They often fly at a very slow speed. |
D.They fly with their backs facing light. |
A.Light pointing upward. | B.Light pointing backward. |
C.Light shining downward. | D.Light shining forward. |
A.Is It Good to Be Like a Moth to a Flame? |
B.Why do Flying Insects Gather near Light? |
C.How Fast Can Insects Fly at Night? |
D.How does Insect Flight Evolve? |
3 . Every year, about 15 billion trees are cut down to make way for agriculture, mining, logging. and urban expansion. Such mass deforestation has accelerated global warming and endangered the survival of millions of species. Though many nations, organizations, and even individuals have tried, no one could plant enough trees to make up for that loss — but some innovative entrepreneurs are working on a high-tech solution.
BioCarbon Engineering (BCE), a U.K.-based start-up, has developed a technique that could plant one billion trees per year. The method? Drones (无人机). Current tree-planting programs "are just not fast enough," said Irina Fedorenko, a co-founder of the company. "But our technology is automated, so we can scale up quite realistically and quite quickly."
First, a drone scans the land and develops a 3-D map of the area. Then, using the data from this "smart map", the team develops an algorithm (算法) for a unique planting pattern. A drone uses the algorithm to carry out the planting strategy. The drone flies about six feet above the ground, firing growing seeds at a speed that will get them under the soil. The species planted by drone has a better survival rate than helicopter spreading that's more commonly used. Some species even have survival rates nearly identical to hand planting.
With GPS and imaging technologies, experts agree that drones have become useful for accurately mapping large areas of land and measuring tree growth. But some scientists are more skeptical about their success as a planting technology to tackle deforestation on a large scale. After all, they only have so much range and battery life.
"Drones are good for measuring secondary growth and looking at where the forest is coming back, but you fight deforestation at a socioeconomic level," says Arturo Sanchez, director of the University of Alberta's Center for Earth Observation and Sciences. "The issue of climate change is not forest restoration, the issue is energy. It is controlling coal plants, power plants, automobile emissions. Planting trees is very important, but when you look at the distribution of CO₂ emissions, deforestation accounts for 10 to 15 percent. The rest is energy. That's what needs to be controlled."
1. What is the author's purpose in mentioning many trees are cut down?A.To appeal to us to stop cutting down trees. |
B.To demonstrate the widespread use of trees. |
C.To show the urgency of planting sufficient trees. |
D.To illustrate the effect of economic development on forests. |
A.Drones can't grow trees faster than current programs. |
B.Drones accurately map the land prior to planting. |
C.Drones grow seeds six feet beneath the ground. |
D.Drones make seeds survive better than hand planting. |
A.Doubtful. | B.Optimistic. | C.Carefree. | D.Intolerant. |
A.Restoring forest is key to tackling climate change. |
B.More coal plants are needed to generate abundant energy. |
C.A major part of CO₂ emissions results from deforestation. |
D.Coal plants and cars emissions should be restricted. |
4 . In a heartwarming display of community spirit, six student lacrosse (长曲棍球) players from Roslyn High School in New York have come together to make sports more accessible for people with disabilities. The initiative, dubbed" Lacrosse My Heart," was started by a group of teenagers who were inspired to create a more inclusive environment for their peers with disabilities.
The program focuses on adapting lacrosse, a popular sport in the area, to meet the needs of individuals with physical and cognitive disabilities. The students have designed specialized equipment and rules to ensure that everyone can participate, regardless of their abilities. For example, they have created larger goals and lighter balls to make scoring easier, and have implemented modifications such as allowing players to use their hands to catch and throw the ball. These adaptations have made the sport more accessible and enjoyable for all participants.
The program has gained significant support from the local community, with many schools and organizations donating resources and volunteering their time. The students have also received guidance from experts in adapted physical education, ensuring that the program is safe and enjoyable for all participants. This collaboration has helped to create a program that is both inclusive and beneficial for everyone involved.
One of the key aspects of Lacrosse My Heart is its emphasis on building relationships between able-bodied students and those with disabilities. The founders wanted to create an environment where kids with disabilities could feel included and build friendships with their peers. This approach has been successful, with participants reporting increased confidence and social skills.
Lacrosse My Heart is not only providing opportunities for individuals with disabilities to participate in sports but also promoting understanding and acceptance among young people. By creating a welcoming environment and adapting sports to meet individual needs, these high school students are breaking down barriers and fostering a sense of community that goes beyond the playing field. Their efforts are not only changing lives but also inspiring others to create more inclusive spaces for individuals with disabilities.
1. What is the mission of Lacrosse My Heart?A.Making sports inclusive for the disabled. |
B.Promoting a type of sport in the community. |
C.Raising funds to support people with disabilities. |
D.Building accesses to public areas for the disabled. |
A.By getting rid of rules. |
B.By reducing the weight of balls. |
C.By making it tough to score. |
D.By prohibiting the use of hands. |
A.Engaging disabled people in supporting the community. |
B.Donating resources to many schools and organizations. |
C.Designing safe programs for experts in physical education. |
D.Building bonds between disabled students and non-disabled peers. |
A.Ambitious and persevering. |
B.Confident and adventurous. |
C.Caring and socially responsible. |
D.Independent and courageous. |
5 . CitySprouts is a non-profit school garden program that works with public schools to build capacity to integrate the school garden into teaching curriculum and the school culture. CitySprouts Summer Program is based in Cambridge and provides 100 youth (ages 11-14) with hands-on learning through growing, harvesting, preparing and eating healthy food in an urban garden. With an emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), the summer program fosters a strong connection to their natural urban environment through working and learning in the garden.
CitySprouts is seeking energetic, diverse, and outgoing college students to provide essential support to the Summer Program. We expect to accept 8-10 students as CitySprouts Summer Fellows for nine weeks during the summer. CitySprouts Summer Fellows can expect a significant learning opportunity as well as opportunities for career exploration.
Summer Fellow Responsibilities:
·Participate in weekly staff meetings
·Maintain safety during youth meal preparation
·Complete special garden maintenance and construction projects with garden crew
·Engage in daily lesson and activity planning in STEM-SL curriculum, gardening skills and cooking
·Assist the Garden Coordinator in teaching a team of summer middle school interns about growing food, garden care, healthy cooking, science of the garden, and the natural environment
Important Notes:
Fellows are central to our summer staffing and the success of our summer youth program, so we ask for a commitment to the full-nine week time period. The CitySprouts Summer Fellowship is an unpaid position. We ask all Fellows to either secure funding through their schools service learning & career center or receive internship credits from their college or university.
Please click here to include two references that can speak to your work or school experience. Please send one page application resumetomiddleschoolprogram@citysprouts.org .
1. What can we know about CitySprouts Summer Program?A.It makes students learn gardening merely from textbooks. |
B.It takes students to rural areas to learn gardening in summer. |
C.It helps students develop a bond with natural urban environment. |
D.It teaches 8 to 10 middle school students skills linked to gardening. |
A.Ensure security during youth meal preparation. |
B.Accomplish garden maintenance by themselves. |
C.Design relevant events and courses once a week. |
D.Teach the garden coordinator gardening skills. |
A.To encourage schools to add gardening to curriculum. |
B.To illustrate the significance of learning STEM courses. |
C.To persuade schools to provide funds for a program. |
D.To recruit university students to assist with a program. |
6 . Mike Myers is a teacher at Chauncey Rose High School in Terre Haute, Indiana. Last year, he taught his students about the world’s rain forests. They learned that rain forests are important because the plants and animals of the rain forest give us food, wood, and medicine.
Destruction of the world’s rain forests is a serious problem. Unluckily, rain forests are disappearing at a rate of 80 acres per minute! As part of a class project, Myers’ students bought three acres (英亩) of rain forest in Central America. They paid $25 per acre. The students hope that the land they bought will be protected and not destroyed. The students became so interested in rain forests that they decided to get a closer look at a real rain forest.
So last June, Myers and four of his students took a boat ride down a river. They saw alligators and crocodiles. In the middle of the week, a guide took Myers and his students into the rain forest. “The monkeys were not happy that we were in their forest. They broke small branches off the trees and threw them at us,” one of the students said. “It was a great learning experience for all of us,” said Myers.
Each student chose something specific about Costa Rica to study involving the plants, animals, food, and culture. During the last few days the group had time to do fun activities. They went whitewater rafting and horseback riding, and visited Costa Rica’s active volcano.
Myers hopes to make the trip every year with a different group of kids.
1. How much did Myers’ students pay for the rain forest they bought?A.$25. | B.$75. | C.$80. | D.$2000. |
A.destroyed | B.developed | C.described | D.discovered |
A.felt excited | B.felt angry |
C.jumped off the trees | D.left the rain forest |
A.were interested in the culture of Costa Rica |
B.wanted to buy the rain forest in Costa Rica |
C.did something to protect rain forest |
D.went to the rain forest for various fun activities |
A.It doesn’t stop near her office. |
B.There are too many people. |
C.The prices are too high. |
A.Wet and rainy. | B.Foggy and windy. | C.Sunny and warm. |
A.Holiday plans. | B.Cultural traditions. | C.The size of their families. |
A.6:00. | B.7:00. | C.8:00. |