1 . Each year, as many as one billion birds are killed in the US from collisions (相撞) with glass windows and buildings every year. Birds that crashed into Philadelphia buildings began to be collected in the 1890s. Nearly 100 species of birds are known to have died out from crashes with buildings and other structures in Philadelphia. Many other species are probably affected in the city.
Called Lights Out Philly, the voluntary program in Philadelphia encourages buildings to turn out or dim unnecessary external and internal lights between midnight and six o’clock early in the morning to protect birds as they pass through during migration seasons.
Bird migration seasons are from April l to May 31 in spring and from August 15 to November 15 in fall. Each year, millions of birds pass through Philadelphia along a migration route known as the Atlantic Flyway. Bird-glass crashes are very common for migrating birds, most of which travel at night. Glass is difficult for them to recognize as hard surfaces, and artificial light can fool them into crashing with buildings and outdoor structures. Turning off lights between midnight and sunrise helps minimize the effect of artificial light when most birds are migrating.
On Oct. 2, 2020, a stormy and foggy day, Philadelphia had its largest mass collision event in more than 70 years with an estimated 1,000 birds crashing with buildings in one 3.5-square block area in just one day. Paired with a terrible storm of weather and fog conditions, the bright city and building lights attracted and confused the migrating birds, causing them to crash with buildings and outdoor structures.
Even if you don’t play a part in managing the lights of a big building, you can help birds avoid crashes by making the glass opaque to reduce the amount and intensity of artificial light at night, changing the color of lighting to blue or green, shortening the duration lights are on, directing the lighting downward or screening lighting.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?A.The rich biological diversity in Philadelphia. |
B.Great efforts to protect migrating birds in Philadelphia. |
C.The present and the past of the bird conservation in America. |
D.The serious consequence of bird-glass crashes in Philadelphia. |
A.Bad weather conditions. | B.Traveling in the day. |
C.The mistaken route. | D.Too many buildings. |
A.Light-reflecting. | B.Delicate. | C.Lightproof. | D.Clean. |
A.It Is Difficult to Save the Migrating Birds |
B.Philadelphia Turns out Lights to Save Migrating Birds |
C.External and Internal Lights Affect the Bird Migration |
D.Lights Out Philly Program Helps Save Endangered Birds |
A.that | B.why | C.where | D.which |
3 . Most people enjoy variety. We like to eat different foods from meal to meal. We wear different clothes. We like to try new activities and visit new places. We become bored when there is little variety. Nevertheless, there’s one place where we tend to dislike variety, and that’s in each other. We often feel uncomfortable with people who practise different habits, or hold beliefs or values that we do not share.
There are reasons for this. When we are exposed to new and different things, our brain works a bit harder than usual. When we’re learning, our nerve cells require more resources, such as water, salt, and various other chemicals. This extra metabolic (新陈代谢的) activity can feel unsettling and unpleasant. And it can feel worse if our nervous system is already under pressure, like in the midst of the pandemic.
This sort of variation may be uncomfortable for individuals, but it’s critical to the survival of any species. If all finches (雀科鸣鸟) were identical, for example, and their environment changed in some significant, harmful ways, like an increase in the temperature or a decrease in water, all of them would be equally affected and the species might become extinct. This insight into variation comes from Charles Darwin, and it’s known as population thinking. Most people associate Darwin with his evolutionary theory of natural selection, but population thinking may be an even greater scientific achievement. The idea of “survival of the fittest” implies that individuals must vary. Some are more suited than others for a given environment, making it easier for them to survive, grow, and reproduce. Variation is therefore a prerequisite for natural selection to work.
Dealing with the vast variety of humankind can be demanding and even annoying at times, but it’s a good investment, sort of like exercise for your brain. When you meet someone who looks different or thinks differently from you, treat your discomfort as a cue to be curious and learn instead of a signal of a problem. Don’t hold the view that the other person should be silenced. Ultimately, this mindset can make you more flexible in adapting to challenging situations, and more adaptable to change.
1. Which of the following might make people feel uncomfortable?A.Having an adventure in the wild. |
B.Taking a trip to a foreign country. |
C.Sharing traveling experiences with others. |
D.Socializing with people from diverse cultures. |
A.People’s unwillingness to deal with new things. |
B.The significance of learning new things in our life. |
C.The biological explanations for people’s discomfort. |
D.The role of the nervous system in learning new things. |
A.Requirement. | B.Substitute. | C.Motivation. | D.Challenge. |
A.Why we tend to chase and enjoy variation. |
B.How we can benefit from seeking variation. |
C.How we should treat the differences we find in others. |
D.Why we should get along with people different from us. |
On October 18, world leaders came together in Beijing for an eye-catching forum (论坛) to celebrate
Chinese President Xi Jinping
So far, the Belt and Road Initiative has become the world’s
“Belt and Road cooperation was suggested by China,
A.has designed | B.have been designing |
C.have designed | D.has been designed |
6 . Tennis is an incredibly mental sport.
It is very easy to self-destruct (自我毁灭) when playing tennis if you let your expectations and ego get the better of you. So, simply playing the ball that is in front of you is the simplest way to approach the game, along with taking each point at a time.
That being said, it is much easier said than done.
Tennis is also about playing the big points well and understanding that not all points hold the same weight across the course of a match. Putting disappointment behind you and trying to play the next point with a positive attitude can be very difficult to do.
A.However, being flexible is also important. |
B.You will always have to have some form of strategy. |
C.However, it is a key part of becoming a better tennis player. |
D.It can bring with it a whole host of physical and mental benefits. |
E.Every backhand shot you hit is what you throw at your opponent. |
F.Perhaps the most obvious benefits tennis offers are the physical ones. |
G.The scoring system in tennis means you can win more points and still lose a match! |
7 . Wildlife crossings don’t just protect animals. They can also mitigate problems related to wildlife-vehicle collisions (碰撞) and save significant money for a community.
Wildlife crossings are man-made structures that help animals move safely around their habitat. They are often paths under or over another existing road or railway, or underground passages for animals to get past for food or avoiding attacks.
Some animals are unable to migrate to survive. People still rely on highways for business and travel, and animals continue to have mobility needs for survival, though. When new roads are built, animals living in a part of their habitat can greatly increase the number of wildlife vehicle collisions while trying to cross the new barriers.
In a new study, Wisnu Sugiarto, a Washington State University economics doctoral student, examined data for 13 of the 22 wildlife crossings, including bridges and underpasses, in the Washington State. He compared the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions each year before and after the construction of a wildlife crossing. He considered the area within 10 miles of a crossing.
Then he compared his analysis to a separate area in the state with no crossings at all. “The findings reported that wildlife crossing structures reduced the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions by one to three accidents on average per mile per year,” Sugiarto said. “Therefore, building wildlife crossing structures is typically an essential and effective strategy to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions.”
“Trior to working on this research, I wasn’t aware of any strategies to reduce wildlife vehicle collisions. I also thought we couldn’t do much about it, partly because we wouldn’t be able to communicate with wildlife and control their movement,” Sugiarto added. “However, it turns out that there are multiple strategies to deal with issues related to wildlife-vehicle collisions and we can do something about them. ”
It is reported that the government has invested $ 350 million over five years for the construction of wildlife crossings. Every wildlife crossing offers a mean benefit of between $235,000 and $443,000 each year.
1. What does the underlined word “mitigate” in paragraph 1 mean?A.Analyze. | B.Reduce. | C.Study. | D.Discover. |
A.How the wildlife crossings are built. |
B.Why wildlife crossings are necessary. |
C.What should be done to cross the roads. |
D.When wildlife-vehicle collisions happen. |
A.Tolerant. | B.Skeptical. |
C.Favorable. | D.Conservative. |
A.Wildlife crossings save wild animals and money |
B.The size of wildlife crossings affects animals greatly |
C.Every wildlife crossing has a great effect on road safety |
D.Wildlife crossings manage to help animals move safely |
Sanfutie is a bandage made of traditional Chinese herbal medicine. It is believed that
A.which | B.where | C.when | D.how |
10 . Helping Your Kids to Be Interested in Sports
Being active and moving is something that is so important for us all, especially for children.
It is such a good idea to lead by example when you are a parent. This is true for a variety of aspects, but especially forgetting children involved in sport.
If something is dull, it will be hard for children to be enthusiastic about it. This will make them resent(讨厌) it, which is not a good thing for later in life. If they show particular skill and learn to play sport, then more practice and training can come in.
Whatever sport your child chooses to play, encourage them and make it fun, and then it will be something that they will want to carry on doing as they go about the rest of their lives.
A.They won’t be interested in sports if you’re not. |
B.here are some other tips that you would share with them. |
C.Share your enthusiasm and it will help to lighten a passion. |
D.So think about ways that can get them to be active in the sports. |
E.How active a child is will impact their overall health and learning. |
F.Apart from leading by example, you could also share your favorite team. |
G.However, the main message forgetting children into sport is to keep it fun. |