2 . Frozen in time, a 125-million-year-old mammal attacking a dinosaur. A 39-million-year-old whale, the heaviest animal that ever lived. The oldest known jellyfish, from 505 million years ago. Paleontology (古生物学) produces newsworthy discoveries.
Fossils (化石), moreover, provide direct evidence for the long history of life, allowing paleontologists to test hypotheses (假设) about evolution with data only they provide. They allow investigation of present and past life on Earth. Flows of biological diversity, appearances of new life forms and the extinctions of long existing ones, would go undiscovered without these efforts. But the headlines over exciting new fossils greatly underestimate the true importance of paleontology. Its real significance lies in how such discoveries brighten the grand history of life on Earth. From its beginnings, more than three billion years ago, to the present day, fossils record how life adapted or disappeared in the face of major environmental challenges.
Paleontologists provide us with a unique vantage on modern climate change. They play an essential role in interpreting ancient environments, in reconstructing ancient oceans, continents and climates. Fossils provide key limitation on the climate models that are essential for predicting future climate change. And the fossil record gives important insights into how life will respond to predicted future climate conditions, because these have occurred before in Earth’s history.
In addition, paleontology has provided a fundamental contribution to human thought: the reality of species extinction and thus of a world that has dramatically changed over time. In documenting the history of life, paleontologists recognized that many extinction episodes could occur suddenly, such as the event 66 million years ago that ended the dinosaurs. The search for the causes of past mass extinctions started pioneering studies from across the scientific spectrum (科学界), focusing on potential future threats to humanity.
Not only do paleontologists know what happens to life when things go bad, they also know how long it takes for ecosystems and biodiversity to recover from these disasters, which can take far longer than modern humans have existed.
Paleontologists thus provide a unique perspective on the nature and future long-term ecological impact of the current human-produced biodiversity crisis, the so-called Sixth Extinction, and therefore the importance of protecting modern biodiversity. The very concept of a Sixth Extinction would not exist without paleontologists documenting the first five.
Paleontologists know that understanding life’s past is critical to anticipating and adapting to life’s and humanity’s future. Paleontology is important because it brings its unique and critical perspective to current challenges in climate change, biodiversity loss and the environment. Paleontologists can predict the future because they know the past.
1. The first two paragraphs are written to _______.| A．describe an event | B．raise a question |
| C．present an opinion | D．make a comparison |
| A．A positive effect. | B．A valuable suggestion. |
| C．A quick decision. | D．A comprehensive view. |
| A．Ecological recovery takes shorter than imagined. |
| B．Past lessons can help to predict the future threats. |
| C．Paleontologists can handle the biodiversity crisis. |
| D．Fossil studies focus on the causes of mass extinctions. |
| A．Paleontology: A Pioneering Study |
| B．Paleontology: A History Recorder |
| C．Paleontology Tells More About Nature Than Humans |
| D．Paleontology Is Far More Than New Fossil Discoveries |
3 . Regeneron Science Talent Search (Regeneron STS) is the oldest and most important science research competition for high school students all over the nation. Started in 1942, Regeneron STS recognizes and empowers most promising young scientists. Each year, nearly 2,000 students enter Regeneron STS. The competition awards 300 student scholars and their schools annually and invites 40 student finalists to Washington, D. C. to participate in final judging. Regeneron STS provides an important platform for their original research which is examined and reviewed by professional scientists.
What are the requirements?●Applicants must be over 13 years of age and have legal parental permission to submit (提交) the application and participate, or be 18 years of age or older;
●Applicants must complete individual research projects to enter Regeneron STS. Research conducted as part of a pre-collegiate student team project is not qualified for Regeneron STS;
●Applicants must submit application package through our online system, and must not have entered any previous Regeneron STS.
What are the core components of an application?●Essays, short answer responses, activities and basic information;
●Scientific Research Report (maximum 20-page research paper about one of the applicant’s original research projects);
●Recommendations submitted by adults;
●Test Scores (optional).
What could the applicants win?●PARTICIPATION AWARDS: All competitors will receive a T-shirt, laptop stickers, and a free one-year subscription to Science News magazine.
●SCHOLAR AWARDS: Each of the 300 scholars will receive a $2,000award.
●SCHOOL AWARDS: The schools of each scholar will receive $2,000 per scholar. The award is intended to contribute to excellence in science, math and/or engineering education at the school.
●FINALIST AWARDS: Judges select 40 finalists from among the scholars. In addition to an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D. C., finalists receive a minimum award of $25,000.
1. From Paragraph 1, we know that Regeneron STS ________.| A．was started before the 1940s |
| B．recognizes 40 scholars every year |
| C．is a platform for professional scientists |
| D．is a nationwide science research competition |
| A．be over 18 years old |
| B．submit applications online |
| C．have entered Regeneron STS before |
| D．have completed the research for a team project |
| A．Each finalist. | B．Each participant. |
| C．Each scholar. | D．Each of the scholars’ school. |
4 . 
It was a Sunday afternoon in May. Paul Blachut was busy working at a restaurant in scenic Augsburg, Germany. Many tourists came for food at the pretty place beside the river, where the meltwater was cold at this time of year.
A mother and her daughter were
Blachut heard the sudden shout, “Two women are drowning in the river!” Then he hurried to the
As Blachut got closer to them, he could
Several onlookers expressed their
| A．enjoying | B．buying | C．drinking | D．pouring |
| A．slowly | B．naturally | C．fortunately | D．suddenly |
| A．pool | B．restaurant | C．shore | D．tube |
| A．stopped | B．raced | C．wandered | D．worked |
| A．Without | B．Despite | C．Besides | D．For |
| A．put away | B．tried on | C．took off | D．hung up |
| A．helpless | B．dangerous | C．calm | D．busy |
| A．share | B．express | C．respond | D．tell |
| A．mentioned | B．recalled | C．rent | D．shot |
| A．pretty | B．soft | C．heavy | D．strong |
| A．schedule | B．task | C．message | D．plan |
| A．pushing | B．flying | C．rolling | D．pulling |
| A．wave | B．clap | C．grasp | D．shake |
| A．surprise | B．admiration | C．happiness | D．hope |
| A．curious | B．careful | C．passionate | D．modest |
让我们讨论下一步做什么。
我们的英语老师对我们很有耐心，因此我们都喜欢她。
汤姆在学汉语方面有困难。
上次梅被选入校队了。(choose)
Exercising Could Lower Stress in High Schools
Stress is one of the most serious problems among high school students. Stress can not only affect how students perform in school, but it also changes how they interact (交往) with others. Stressing is a normal (正常的) part of life.
Stress can come from many different places for high school students. From my own experiences, I know that balancing studying, homework, sports, and social life is really tough. Senior high school students have to worry about getting good grades and getting into college.
One way I think we can fight the stress is by exercising. Physical activity has been known to lower stress in teens as well as adults. The enjoyment of physical activity can take a student’s worries off their mind. This is definitely important.
Since students study in school the whole day from 7:30 in the morning, to around 10:30 at night, having limited (有限的) time to do physical activity, I think it would be a good idea to add some sort of physical activity into the school day. Maybe ten or fifteen minutes would be enough.
I think that adding this little amount of physical activity can help high school students in a lot of ways other than just stress relief. I think that it will improve their attention in class, which could improve their grades. These activities can help their physical and mental health, which will benefit them later in life as well as the present. If high school students do exercise regularly, they will be more likely to do better in school.
1. What does the author (作者) think of stressing?2. Where does your stress come from?
3. The author thinks one way we can fight the stress is by exercising. Do you agree with him?
4. What is your own way to fight or reduce stress?
5. Who do you ask for help when you feel stressed? What advice does he or she give you?
Just as noise pollution negatively impacts human health, it also affects wildlife. It can affect animal communication, their abilities to find food and impact where they live. A recent study published in Biology Letters found that human-created noise is affecting a wide range of animals. Noise pollution is caused by cars, trucks, airplanes, ships, factories, industrial activities and sounds from cities, among others. Researchers found that wildlife in many different land and water ecosystems showed significant responses to human-created noise.
For example, bats use ultrasonic sound waves to get around and to find food. However, noise pollution affects this and causes them to spend more time and energy locating their food source. Shipping lanes in the UK can be deafening to harbor seals, and noises from ships are seriously impacting killer whales ability to find food and avoid potential dangers, according to episode 2 of CBC s Killers: J pod on the brink (边缘). And it’s no secret that many human-created conditions, like noise, are changing the behavior of birds. You may be surprised to learn that plants are also impacted, since pollinators (传粉昆虫) often relocate to quieter areas.
Not unlike the impact of light pollution on insects, noise pollution is causing change. It can change the types of species living in many different ecosystems, which in turn impacts the functions of these areas, according to The Guardian.
The good news is that if noise is reduced or simply turned off, it more or less removes the issue. The impact does not remain in the same way as other forms of pollution, like plastic or chemicals. And efforts are already underway in Canada.
BC Ferries is working to lessen the effects of underwater noise, especially along ferry routes that pass through critical habitats. WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) Canada is encouraging the federal government to increase protective measures in the Arctic. They’re also working with international colleagues to address the increase of noise in the region as a result of new shipping routes.
While these initiatives demonstrate progress, tightening rules and regulations around noise pollution is an important measure for conserving wildlife in Canada.
1. Why do bats spend more time looking for food?2. What is the influence of noise pollution on ecosystems?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
Noise pollution affects animals in many ways, and compared with other forms of pollution, noise pollution is harder to deal with.
4. Please give some advice on how to reduce the effects of noise pollution on animals. (In about 40 words)
