1 . Animal appear to predict earthquakes by sensing electricity in the air — the first study to find reliable evidence of the phenomenon has shown.
Cameras revealed an “amazing” drop in the number of animals up to 23 days before a major quake hit their rainforest home at Yanachaga National Park in Peru. Lead scientist Dr Rachel Grant, from Anglia Ruskin University, said, “The results showed that just before the earthquake, animals’ activity dropped right down.”
On a normal day the cameras placed around Yanachaga National Park record between 5 and 15 animals. But in the 23 days before the earthquake, the number of animals dropped to five or fewer per day. No animals were photographed at all on five of the seven days immediately before the quake.
Another study showed that animal activity remained normal in the park over a different period when seismic (地震的) activity was low. Co-author, professor Friedemann Freund, said, “The cameras were located at an altitude of 900 meters. If air ionization occurred, the animals would escape to the valley below, where there were fewer positive ions ( 离子). With their ability to sense their environment, animals can help us understand small changes that occur before major earthquakes.”
Other evidence suggested that before the earthquake, the air around the high mountain sites filled with positive ions that can be produced when rocks are placed under stress. Positive ions have been known to cause ill effects in humans as well as animals. Scientists believe the animals were made to feel uncomfortable by the positive ions, leading them to avoid the area. They are thought to have escaped to lower ground, where the air was less ionized. The findings may help experts develop better short-term seismic forecasts.
1. How did scientists conduct the study?A.By comparing different animals’ habits. |
B.By observing animals in high mountains. |
C.By explaining the positive ion phenomenon. |
D.By analyzing images of animals they obtained. |
A.The ground at a lower altitude is less ionized. |
B.Cameras normally record more animals per day. |
C.Earthquake warnings can be detected in lower places. |
D.The activity of animals and earthquakes is consistent. |
A.The findings make for accurate seismic forecast. |
B.Animals tend to be uneasy with more positive ions. |
C.Positive ions make humans and animals depressed. |
D.All the animals remain abnormal before the earthquake. |
A.Negative Influence of Positive Ions. |
B.Ions’ Destruction to the Environment. |
C.Animals’ Behavior Before Earthquakes. |
D.Creatures’ Ability to Predict Earthquakes. |
注意:1. 词数80左右;2. 可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯:3. 开头和结尾已给出,不计入总词数。
Dear Professor Williams,
I am honored to give a presentation about Chinese culture to international students at your invitation.
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Sincerely yours,
Li Hua
Everyone has a hero — someone he admires, who has had an impact on his life. My brother, John, is my hero. He is the most sympathetic, sweet and funny person I have ever met. John is also mentally handicapped (智障的) and has a developmental disability known as autism (自闭症).
I used to be ashamed of John when I was little. When he first started talking, he had a hard time with pronunciation and understanding the meaning of words. He called me May-Me for most of my childhood because he could not pronounce Amy. As John grew older, his language ability gradually increased. I went from May-Me to Amy, and hammer burgers became hamburgers.
When I was younger, I was embarrassed by John. He used to run around in stores talking to himself, flicking his ears and putting his hands in his mouth. He had a hard time swallowing and would have drool (流口水) running down his face. John was very loud, and it seemed to me that he would always find the quietest moments to talk.
All I ever wanted was a normal brother. I would look at other brothers and sisters, see their relationships and turn green with envy. Why did my brother have to be so different? I was very self-conscious of what people thought. I felt as if the entire world was laughing at me because of the way John was acting. I was utterly offended at times that I could not have a normal brother.
The siblings of an autistic child can have many reactions to the amount of attention the autistic child receives. Some feel as if they are not receiving enough attention and may become superachievers to get their share. I hate to admit it, but I definitely fall into this category. I feel the need to excel (突出) in everything I do. I cannot help but think that this comes from having a disabled brother.
John has changed significantly over the past eighteen years.
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As I grow older, I’m no longer ashamed of my brother; instead, I am ashamed that I used to be.
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“Will you do me a favor, Achenyo?” Mama called as she looked up from her weaving. Beside her was a pile of wild-grass stalks (秆). Mama took a stalk, laid it along the length of the half-finished bag, and began to weave (编织). In the corner were pots of dyes (染料) she’d use to paint the finished bags. “Will you get me some water for the dyes?” “Of course, Mama!” Achenyo picked up a pot as she ran outside. She didn’t like weaving, although it was a tradition for a mother to pass on the trade to her daughter. Outside, Achenyo called to her neighbor Ajuma. Both girls, with pots balanced on their heads, made their way to the river.
Achenyo and Ajuma soon arrived at the water’s edge, and they found a huge surprise. The river was gone! In its place was a blanket of dark green leaves and lavender-colored (淡紫色的) flowers. “Oh no!” Achenyo cried. “Mama won’t have water to mix the dyes for her bags.” When the adults arrived at the riverbank, they shook their heads, saying “They’ve struck again!”
Last year, the rainy season had brought an invasion (入侵) of water hyacinths. The plants had covered the river and left no room to dip a pot to get water. And now they were back. The adults walked into the water. They began pulling up water hyacinths and throwing them onto the riverbank. When they’d cleared enough plants, the girls filled their pots with water. A pile of water hyacinths lay on the riverbank. What a shame to waste such pretty flowers, Achenyo thought. She picked some for Mama, and then the girls headed home. Each day, they found the river covered by water hyacinths as if no one had cleared the waterfront (水边地) the day before. To fill their pots, they again had to pull up and throw water hyacinths onto the riverbank. The pile on the sand grew taller.
One day, as Achenyo moved an armful of dried water hyacinths out of her way, she had an idea. Carrying the plants under her arm, she ran home.
注意:1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
3. 参考词汇:weave vt. & vi. (wove, woven) 编织
“Mama, will you teach me to weave?” asked Achenyo eagerly.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One afternoon, Achenyo held up her finished work made from water hyacinths.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________5 . Mental Health Crisis Among Teens Demands a New Approach
Since the CDC released its survey results last month showing alarmingly high rates of sadness and depressive thoughts among teens, fingers have been pointed from two sides at the causes of this crisis.
According to the CDC’s findings, more than one in five of the 17,000 high school students surveyed reported mental breakdown. Their rates of sadness and hopelessness are the highest in a decade, reflecting an increasing trend exacerbated by society’s isolation(隔离)and stress.
Parents as well as teachers and others who have direct contact with children must accept this preventive approach. It is crucial that they not be afraid to ask direct questions about depressive thoughts.
A.And they should resist the false idea that raising a question creates a risk that was not there before. |
B.This means that we must put aside our disagreements and approach this issue as a matter of life and death. |
C.Some have argued that the climate issue has created an existential threat and accompanying anxiety. |
D.Hospitalization may also be appropriate when the person in question shows an immediate danger to themselves. |
E.At the macro(宏观的)level, our country can do so much more to help people struggling with mental health problems and their families. |
F.It’s time to stop blaming and turn our attention to this generation of struggling teenagers. |
G.It’s time for those who have the power to amplify(放大)their voices and drive change to focus on helping teenagers and families access the help they need. |
6 . Thanks to in-depth reporting by the Wall Street Journal, we now know that Facebook has long been aware its product Instagram has harmful effects on the mental health of many adolescent users. Young girls, in particular, struggle with their body image thanks to a constant stream of photos and videos showing beautiful bodies that users don’t think they can attain.
While the information the Journal covered is essential and instructive, it does not tell the whole story. Deep down, this is not an Instagram problem; it’s a people problem. Understanding that distinction can make the difference between a failed attempt to contain a teen’s interest in an addictive app and successfully addressing the underlying problem leading to mental distress induced (诱发) by Instagram.
Critics were quick to shame Facebook for sitting on the data and not releasing it to researchers or academics who asked for it. Others criticize the social media giant for not using the research to create a safer experience for its teen users. The anger, while understandable, is misplaced.
While I’m reluctant to defend Facebook, I’m not sure it’s reasonable to blame the company for withholding data that would hurt its business. Have you ever binge-watched (狂看) a Netflix series? I assure you it wasn’t a healthy endeavor. You were in active, likely did nothing productive, mindlessly snacked and didn’t go outside for fresh air. It is an objectively harmful use of time to stare at a TV or laptop for a full weekend. Should we respond by shaming Netflix for not alerting us to how damaging an addictive product can be?
While it’s reasonable to say Instagram makes esteem issues worse, it strains credulity (夸张到难以置信) to believe it causes them in the first place. You create your own experiences on social media. For the most part, you choose which accounts to follow and engage. If you’re already vulnerable to insecurities and self-sabotage (自损) — as many teens are — you will find accounts to obsess over. And this isn’t a new phenomenon.
Before social media, there were similar issues fueling self-esteem issues. Whether the target be magazines, movies or television shows depicting difficult-to-attain bodies, there has been a relatively steady chorus (异口同声) of experts nothing the damage new media could cause young viewers.
Self-esteem issues have an underlying cause — one that’s independent of social media use. Instagram merely enhances those feelings because it provides infinitely more access to triggers than older forms of media. It’s more worthwhile to address those underlying factors rather than to attack Facebook.
1. The author thinks the criticisms against Instagram __________.A.are successful attempts to change teens’ interest in addictive apps |
B.address the Instagram - induced mental pain |
C.are only based on the data released by Facebook |
D.are not directed at the fundamental problem |
A.compare the criticisms against it and Facebook |
B.defend why Facebook is to blame |
C.suggest the critics’ remarks are not to point |
D.show Netflix does more harm to teens |
A.it is human nature to get addicted to social media |
B.users decide on their experiences on social media |
C.people have a tendency to feel insecure online |
D.people are keen on fabricating their self - profile |
A.the unprecedented criticism facing Facebook |
B.the alarming online habits of teenagers worldwide |
C.the root cause of Instagram - induced mental strains |
D.the harmful impact of Instagram on teenagers |
Stop Asian Hate
During the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, New York City saw a sharp increase in harassment and violence against Asian people and communities, especially Asian elders. Discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, age, and disability, including having or
We all want to live in a world that is free from prejudice and
Since the pandemic, something has been made nasty in the media by comments from Donald Trump calling it “the China virus”, and ESEA people all over the world have found that their lives have been turned upside down. In the wake of the tragic deaths in the US and several studies
Working towards a world where no racism exists is always important to us, and will always be something
“Party Cries” In Ireland
Mark Twain
Belfast is a peculiarly religious community. This may be said of the whole of the North of Ireland. About one-half of the people are convinced Protestants (清教徒) and the other half Catholics (天主教徒). Each party does all it can
Every man in the community acts like a minister and carries a brick to argue against
One of Belfast's local jokes was very good. It referred to the uniform and inevitable fine of forty shillings and costs for uttering a party cry--and it is no economical fine for a poor man, either, by the way. They say that a policeman found a drunken man lying on the ground, up a dark alley,
“What’s that you say?”
“To hell with!”
“To hell with who? To hell with what?”
“Ah, ye can finish it yourself--it's too expensive for me!”
I think the seditious disposition (倾向), restrained by the economical instinct, is finely put in that.
9 . During the initial stages of instructed L2 (the second language) acquisition students learn a couple thousand, mainly high frequency words. Functional language proficiency, however,
Acquisition of new words from authentic L2 reading texts by means of strategies such as contextual deduction (演绎) is also not a
Any suggestions on how to use this in educational contexts should be based on a systematic
A.inquires | B.requires | C.receives | D.inspires |
A.difficult | B.easy | C.possible | D.necessary |
A.copy | B.focus | C.find | D.clean |
A.however | B.moreover | C.because | D.nevertheless |
A.disturb | B.seem | C.occur | D.disappear |
A.solution | B.approach | C.problem | D.wonder |
A.official | B.annual | C.objective | D.alternative |
A.predicted | B.presented | C.postponed | D.preferred |
A.available | B.outstanding | C.attractive | D.evident |
A.by means of | B.moreover | C.in spite of | D.however |
A.focus | B.analysis | C.object | D.target |
A.describe | B.grasp | C.link | D.force |
A.conclusions | B.appointments | C.aspects | D.contents |
A.react | B.establish | C.memorize | D.leave |
A.enhanced | B.invented | C.contrasted | D.behaved |
10 . My students frequently ask me how I planned out my career to become president of Fidelity Investments. I always tell them, “There was no grand plan; I backed into my career one step at a time.” In this tough economy and ever-changing world, it is more important than ever to smartly evaluate each step in your career. To prepare for whatever surprises lie ahead, try to make choices today that will maximize your options in the future.
Gaining transferable (可转移的) knowledge begins with the choices you make at school. You want your education to provide you with the necessary skills and expertise to succeed in a wide variety of jobs.
Once you have finished your formal education, search for jobs that will allow you to further expand your transferable knowledge—to help you find your next job. Let’s say you take a job putting together airplane leases. Within a few years, you could become the world’s expert on the subject.
Remember gaining transferable knowledge is only one piece of the puzzle.
Of course, you can build your network to some degree without changing jobs.
A.You can make yourself more attractive. |
B.Gain transferable expertise and form close bonds with your colleagues. |
C.Your next step should help you expand your web of personal relationships. |
D.This later helped me evaluate and start business units throughout the world. |
E.You can attend conferences or participate in committees at trade associations. |
F.This means that you need to make smart choices about the courses you will follow. |
G.However, this narrow expertise probably won’t help you in any other line of work. |