1 . Minu Pauline is the owner of Pappadavada Restaurant in Kochi, India. Late one night, as she watched a homeless woman searching through the garbage bin outside her house, a realization hit her with full force — she had been abandoning perfectly good leftover food while someone in need was looking for food.
Touched by this sad sight, Pauline knew she had to find a solution to this problem. That woman had been sleeping and was woken up by her hunger, so she had to go in search of food instead of sleeping.
Inspired by her desire to make a difference, she decided to take action. The idea was simple but mighty: She placed a refrigerator at the entrance of her restaurant, stored with leftover food that anyone could take for free. This refrigerator became a beacon (灯塔) of hope for the hungry and the homeless.
Each day, Pauline fills the refrigerator with 75 to 80 packets of leftovers, carefully labeling each one with the date it was cooked. And there are days when she goes above and beyond, putting in 100 packets to ensure no one leaves hungry. The self-service refrigerator is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, allowing anyone in need to access a warm meal whenever they require it. It's about recognizing the value of resources and combating food waste.
In an interview with The Huffington Post, she passionately emphasized that while money may belong to individuals, resources are a communal asset. She believes that wasting resources, especially food, is not only a loss for individuals but also a disservice to society as a whole.
Through her selfless act. Pauline has sparked a ripple (涟漪) of kindness and compassion in her community.
1. What happened to Minu Pauline in paragraph 1?A.She got to know a homeless woman. | B.She received a very strange customer. |
C.She saw the struggle of a poor woman. | D.She met with a lady collecting garbage. |
A.Powerful. | B.Demanding. | C.Ridiculous. | D.Interesting. |
A.Why Pauline set up the free refrigerator. | B.How Pauline operates her free refrigerator. |
C.Who can take food from the refrigerator. | D.When more free refrigerators are available. |
A.People's reaction to Pauline's free refrigerator. |
B.The spread of Pauline's charity in her neighborhood. |
C.The praise from the community to Pauline's action. |
D.The challenges for Pauline to run her charity group. |
2 . When adult humans meet a baby, many can't help speaking in a higher-pitched (更高音的) and sing-songy voice. This shift, known as parentese, is not unique to humans. It has also been observed in animals like monkeys and gorillas. Now, scientists are adding one more species to that list: bottle-nose dolphins.
Dolphins are intelligent animals that live and hunt in groups. They communicate in a unique way: Every individual produces its own signature sound that acts much like an ID card, usually by its first birthday. But how does each come up with its distinctive whistle? For babies, it might have something to do with listening to Mum. To solve this mystery, researchers examined the sounds mother dolphins make.
Scientists studied 34 years’ worth of recordings of sounds made by 19 female bottle-nose dolphins. When the mother dolphins were near their young, they continued to make their signature sounds, but at a higher frequency. They also used a wider range of frequencies than they did when their babies were not nearby.
This discovery suggests that using these modifications, mother dolphins assist their young in learning how to produce these calls themselves. Since baby dolphins often spend some years with their mothers before living on their own, it makes sense that this adaptation would help them learn to communicate. At the very least, the higher-pitched whistle likely gets the babies' attention. “It's important for a baby to know, ‘Oh, Mum's talking to me now,’ ” says marine biologist Janet Mann.
This kind of research could help us understand how language developed in humans. “It is absolutely essential to have basic knowledge about other species and how they communicate,” says Mann. “I would be really interested to see whether dolphins also change their sounds when interacting with babies of others, which is what happens in humans.”
1. What do the underlined words “this mystery” refer to in paragraph 2?A.How dolphins develop their unique sounds. |
B.Why dolphins live and play in groups. |
C.What aspects of intelligence dolphins possess. |
D.Whether dolphins can use parentese like humans. |
A.By recording parent-child interaction frequency. |
B.By analyzing mother dolphins' sound features. |
C.By measuring the distance between parents and children. |
D.By examining the speech organs of mother dolphins. |
A.To express worry and care. | B.To teach them hunting skills. |
C.To help them learn to talk. | D.To distract their attention. |
A.Some new findings about dolphin communication |
B.The value of studying dolphins' language |
C.A comparison of the parentese of humans and dolphins |
D.An introduction to the development of dolphin intelligence |
1. What will the weather be like later today?
A.Rainy. | B.Cloudy. | C.Windy. |
A.10℃. | B.18℃. | C.28℃. |
A.Take an umbrella. | B.Follow the forecast. | C.Put on more clothes. |
1. What is the main purpose of the man’s visit?
A.To have further study. | B.To attend a conference. | C.To buy new products. |
A.On April 19th. | B.On April 21st. | C.On April 27th. |
A.In Chicago. | B.In Beijing. | C.In Pennsylvania. |
A.A financial manager. | B.A customs officer. | C.A computer engineer. |
It was the Dragon Boat Festival. Shiny white tents lined the waterfront,
Giggling kids raced cheerfully along the lakeside beach, with
Dragon boat racing has been going on for thousands of years in China,
In the race, a drummer
Lin said a friend got him
“We really want to help expand people’s awareness and grow the sport,” said Lin. “We’re hoping one day it will become
1. What is the probable relationship between the speakers?
A.Host and guest. | B.Husband and wife. | C.Customer and waiter. |
A.End the party. | B.Go back home. | C.Do voluntary work. |
A.Buy more drinks. | B.Play the music. | C.Shut the lights. |
1. How much should the man pay in total?
A.£120. | B.£125. | C.£130. |
A.Wrap his gift up. | B.Give him a discount. | C.Arrange a tailoring service. |
A.Who will shorten them. | B.When he can collect them. | C.Whether he can return them. |
1. Why does the man talk to the woman?
A.To take a picture of her. |
B.To apply for a new ID card. |
C.To check his personal information. |
A.By having it mailed. | B.By picking it up in person. | C.By downloading it from an email. |
A.She drove too fast. | B.She ran a red light. | C.She parked illegally. |
10 . For the history of life on Earth, organisms have relied on the light of the sun, moon, and stars to find their way and schedule their lives. While the beginning of electric lighting in the late 19th century may have benefited humans, it has caused problems in the natural world. Among the impacts of artificial light at night(ALAN), light pollution lures migrating birds to cities with shocking consequences, contributes to the alarming decline in insect populations, and convinces sea turtle babies to amble(缓行)away from the water instead of towards it.
Now, a new study from the University of Plymouth adds another disappointing finding about how ALAN is affecting the creatures with whom we share the planet: Light pollution from coastal cities can trick corals(珊瑚)into reproducing outside of the optimum times when they would normally reproduce.
Using a combination of light pollution data and spawning(产卵)observations, researchers were able to show for the first time that corals exposed to ALAN are spawning one to three days earlier and closer to the full moon compared to those on unlit corals. “That shift may reduce the survival and fertilization success of gametes(配子)and genetic connectivity between nearby lit and unlit coral systems,” they explain.
“Corals are among the most biodiverse, economically important, and threatened ecosystems on the planet,” write the authors of the study.
“Climate change has led to mass bleaching(褪色)events. Habitat destruction, fisheries, and pollution have reduced corals substantially since the 1950s,” they write, adding, “The complete loss of corals is anticipated over the next 100 years.”
If we want to reduce the harm ALAN is causing, we could perhaps look to delay the switching-on of night-time lighting in coastal regions to ensure the natural dark period between sunset and moonrise when coral reproduction remains undisturbed.
1. Why is the first paragraph written?A.To present the topic of the text. | B.To advocate energy conservation. |
C.To explain a natural phenomenon. | D.To provide background information. |
A.Possible. | B.Appropriate. | C.Flexible. | D.Sensitive. |
A.Extinction. | B.Losing value. |
C.Terrible diseases. | D.Exposure to moonlight. |
A.Creatures Rely on Natural Lights to Schedule Their Life |
B.Night-time Lighting Shortens Natural Dark Period |
C.Coastal Lights Trick Corals into Early Spawning |
D.Light Pollution Leads to Serious Consequences |