On Monday, the Moscow Zoo started on
The zoo has put eight
“To get familiar with the
“The live broadcast will help correct this situation. Thanks to it, everyone can watch the pandas
The pandas from Southwest China’s Sichuan Province will spend 15 years at the Moscow Zoo. They are part of the research program between the Moscow Zoo
2 . In the 1980s, millions of western monarchs gathered in trees from northern California down to western Mexico. Now, their wintering sites are mostly on California’s central coast.
Western monarch butterflies travel south from the Pacific Northwest to California each winter. They return to the same places and even the same trees, where they gather. The monarchs usually arrive in California at the beginning of November. They spread across the country once warmer weather arrives in March.
The western monarch butterfly population has decreased by more than 99 percent since the 1980s. Another monarch population on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains travels from southern Canada and the northeastern US to spend the winter in western Mexico. Scientists estimate the monarch population in the eastern US has fallen about 80 percent since the mid-1990s.
Monarchs from across the West migrate (迁徙) yearly to about 100 wintering sites along central California’s Pacific coast. One of the best-known wintering places is the Monarch Grove Sanctuary in the city of Pacific Grove.
Pacific Grove, California, known as “Butterfly Town, USA”, has worked for years to help the decreasing monarch population. The city holds a parade to celebrate the butterflies every October. It also bans human interference with the monarchs. The crime carries a $ 1,000 fine.
In 2020, no monarchs appeared in Pacific Grove. But in 2021, an early count found that more than 13,000 of the insects had moved in.
Scientists do not know why the population increased in 2021. But Jepsen, director of Endangered Species at Xerces Society, said it is likely a combination of reasons, including better conditions on their breeding grounds. The non-profit science group Xerces Society carries out the official study every year. Volunteer counters have reported the presence of as many as 50,000 monarchs in the last few weeks.
Monarch butterflies lack legal protection that could keep their territory from being destroyed. Last year, the butterflies were denied federal protection. But the insects are now among the candidates for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act.
1. What is the text mainly about?| A．Introducing California’s central coast. |
| B．Revealing the migration and quantity change of monarchs. |
| C．Attracting more visitors to Pacific Grove in California. |
| D．Introducing the reason for western monarchs’ migration. |
| A．Apparent. | B．Unique. | C．Multiple. | D．Mysterious. |
| A．Disturbance. | B．Commitment. | C．Adaptation. | D．Consumption. |
| A．To provide readers with more interesting information. |
| B．To urge to add more animals into the list of endangered species. |
| C．To express the author’s satisfaction with protective measures. |
| D．To introduce the development of legal basis for protecting Monarch butterflies. |
3 . Like humans, animals need sleep too. A big problem for animals in the wild is keeping their enemies away while they sleep. Animals take care of this problem in different ways.
Anolis lizards live in many areas including tropical rainforests. They often sleep on leaves at the end of long branches. A leaf might seem like a strange bed, but it works like an alarm. If a hungry snake wiggles a branch, the lizard wakes up and leaps to safety.
Chimpanzees take their sleep very seriously. Each day, a chimpanzee builds itself a new, comfortable bed to sleep in. Scientists believe chimpanzees carefully choose a tree that is strong, where they build a nest using branches and leaves.
Parrotfish live among coral reefs in oceans. Every night, parrotfish usually sleep close to the rock in sheltered places. Some parrotfish go one step further by quickly making a slime layer that covers their whole body. This covering acts like a sleeping bag that provides a barrier against danger.
Bottle-nosed dolphins need to sleep, but they have to be on the ocean’s surface to breathe. They also need to watch over their young. What do they do? While half of the dolphin’s brain sleeps, the other half stays awake. After a while, the sleeping half wakes up while the other half snoozes.
Sooty terns have the most amazing sleep. They nest on islands. When they arc not nesting, they live for many years in the sky and on the sea’s surface. When and where can they sleep? Scientists believe they are able to sleep while they are flying, staying out of the reach of enemies.
1. Which animals need the most preparation before sleep?| A．Anolis lizards. | B．Chimpanzees. | C．Parrotfish. | D．Sooty terns. |
| A．Quietness. | B．Time length. | C．Comfort. | D．Safety. |
| A．biography | B．tourist brochure | C．science fiction | D．popular science magazine |
4 . When you’re walking your dog in the park, he comes across another dog. The dogs look at each other, sniff each other, and walk circles around each other. And then the fight begins. But is it really a fight, or is it just play-fighting? It’s very important for you to know whether he’s in any true danger.
Dog owners everywhere like to take their dogs to the park to play. But is their behavior best described as “play”? Scientists have used the word “play” to describe any behavior that does not have any obvious purpose.
The natural world is filled with examples of such “purposeless activities”. Bernd Heinrich and Rachel Smolker describe a common activity among ravens(乌鸦): snowboarding. Ravens in Alaska and Northern Canada are known to slide down steep, snow-covered roofs. When they reach the bottom, they walk or fly back to the top, and repeat the process over and over again. In Maine, ravens were observed sliding down small hills of snow. “We see no obvious practical function for sliding behavior,” they write. Anyone who has spent time in a school playground will recognize that ravens and children both like this type of sliding activity.
It is easy to see that play may sometimes have a purpose. Given that young animals borrow actions from fighting, hunting, or other behaviors, play may serve as a for m of practice. Play might help animals become more flexible and prepare better for their future life.
So next time you walk by a playground or a schoolyard, take a look around. The kinds of games that young children play may look like simpler forms of play seen in animals. Some children may remind you of the snowboarding raven, just trying to have a good time. Other games, though, might have a deeper purpose, helping children learn their place in the social world within which they live.
1. What does “play” refer to according to scientists?| A．Children’s activities. | B．Walking dogs in the park. |
| C．The fighting between animals. | D．Activities without obvious purpose. |
| A．Giving an example. | B．Providing a way. |
| C．Offering a reason. | D．Asking for advice. |
| A．Flying to the top of snow-covered roofs. |
| B．Hiding in the snow hole. |
| C．Sliding down roofs covered with deep snow. |
| D．Walking on the snow-covered ground. |
| A．Learn some living skills. | B．Get along well with others. |
| C．Be the ruler of the animal world. | D．Practice sliding and running. |
Dolphins are social and
Janet Mann researches dolphins at Georgetown University. She and other
Jacob Negrey who is
6 . Zebrafish, named for their characteristic stripes (条纹), have been a popular test subject for researchers. Only a few centimeters in length, the fish reproduce easily in captivity (圈养), grow quickly, and their transparent body makes it easy to study their organs. Above all, they possess some surprising “self-healing” power. When part of their heart is removed, they can grow it back in a matter of weeks. When blinded, they can quickly regain the ability to see.
Recent studies show that humans and zebrafish have the same major organs and share 70 percent of the genes. Moreover, 84 percent of human genes associated with disease find a counterpart in zebrafish. Scientists thus hope that understanding the self-healing mystery of the fish may one day allow humans to regenerate (使……再生) such organs as eyes, hearts, and spines.
Researchers at Vanderbilt University are particularly interested in zebrafish retina (视网膜) regeneration. They have learned that damage of retina can cause blindness in zebrafish, yet it only takes about three to four weeks before vision is regained. The structure and cell types of zebrafish reins are almost the same to those of humans. If the process can be copied in humans, it may give rise to new treatments for blindness caused by retinal damage.
In order to know exactly how zebrafsh retina is regenerated, the team looked at the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a chemical messenger in the brain that reduces the activity of neurons. They found that lowering GABA levels in zebrafish can activate retina regeneration, while a high level of GABA concentration will suppress the regeneration process. This suggested that GABA plays an important role in the fish’s ability to regain their sight. The result served as a further proof to scientists previous work.
The team is beginning to test the GABA theory on mice. If that works, human trials will be next on the agenda. If the research proves successful in humans, some of the nearly 40 million blind people worldwide may one day have a tiny, striped fish to thank.
1. What’s the most amazing for zebrafish?| A．Its beautiful stripes. | B．Its regeneration ability. | C．Its transparent body. | D．Its excellent eyesight. |
| A．Hold back. | B．Add up. | C．Draw up. | D．Get over. |
| A．Humans are currently under trial. | B．The first experimental subject is mice. |
| C．The researchers had unexpected discoveries. | D．The results are in line with previous study findings. |
| A．How Do Zebrafish Heal Themselves? | B．What Is the Mystery of Zebrafish Retina? |
| C．Will Self-healing Power of Zebrafish Be Regained? | D．Could the Tiny Zebrafish Teach Us to Cure Blindness? |
7 . Great whites and whale sharks are among the species at risk of extinction over the next century, a new study has found.
Pimiento is the lead author of a study published in Science Advances that looks at how the extinction of large marine species would impact the ecological roles of ocean ecosystems. “The extinction crisis challenges scientists to better measure biodiversity: how will the total variety of life on Earth be affected as human activities lead to the losses of more and more species?” they said. In the oceans, the biggest animals are thought to play crucial ecological roles, and are also facing high levels of threat from human activities such as fisheries and climate change.
The team was looking to move beyond traditional species extinctions, to find out more about the functional diversity, the range of roles that these species perform, and how biodiversity might respond under different extinction scenarios. They ran two different extinction scenarios. In one, researchers looked at extinction probability based on their current IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) status. In the second, they assumed all species listed as threatened, around 40 percent, had gone extinct.
Sharks were found to be one of the worst affected groups. “We already knew that sharks are one of the most threatened groups in the ocean,” they said. “They are also very vulnerable due to their large size and low reproductive rate. Our results show that future extinctions would be selective against the most functionally unique and specialized shark species, resulting in greater projected losses.” They also said the biggest threats to marine megafauna are fishing, either through accidentally getting caught up or directly targeted, and climate change. Mitigating these threats could be the best way to protect these species.
The good news is that the study identifies key species that can be targeted and protected. Sometimes ocean conservation can be a triage game. The science helps us know which species really need our help and which species we really cannot afford to lose.
1. What is Pimiento’s study about?| A．The possible threats of large marine animals. |
| B．The main cause of the extinction crisis in the sea. |
| C．The ecological role of large animals in the ocean. |
| D．The best way of balancing biodiversity with human acts. |
| A．By checking current data. | B．By predicting extinction rates. |
| C．By measuring marine biodiversity. | D．By analyzing traditional experiments. |
| A．The risk of sharks reproducing in the ocean. | B．The solution to animals’ protection in the sea. |
| C．The influence of sharks’ extinction on the ocean. | D．The reason for sharks being hit hardest in the sea. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Positive. | C．Skeptical. | D．Negative. |
8 . Phil Wise is a wildlife scientist from the Save the Tasmanian Devil (袋獾)Program. The scientists working with this program study Tasmanian devils, check their health, and track the devils found in the wild. Because a disease is reducing the number of devils, Oddity, a young Tasmanian devil, and 14 others were raised in a preserve and then brought to Maria Island to be set free into the wild.
Life on this island off the coast of Tasmania was a big change for Oddity and the others. These devils bad little experience with other kinds of animals and had to explore the land and find new bones.
Though they are raised in zoos all over the world, devils live wild only in Tasmania. They eat dead animals they find, which helps clean up the environment. Devils also eat animals such as wallabies, wombats, and possums, helping to keep those populations balanced.
But a disease called Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD) is killing devils on mainland Tasmania, putting them in danger. DFTD spreads when a diseased animal bites a healthy animal. The goal of the scientists w ho set Oddity and the others free was to create a lot of devils which are free of DFTD on Maria Island. Oddity is a part of this “insurance population” of devils raised in zoos and wildlife preserves. This means that if the facial disease causes the Tasmanian devil to die out in the wild, devils like Oddity can be sent back into disease-free areas of Tasmania, giving devils a chance to survive.
Oddity started his new life on Maria Island. And the other animals did so well that 13 more devils were set free. The 28 original Tasmanian devils have reproduced; there are now around 80 devils. They are doing well on Maria Island. and the plan is considered a success. Wise says he is “very happy to know that animals are getting a chance to be free in the wild in an area that is free of DFTD It is the final aim of all who work to protect animals.”
1. Why were some Tasmanian devils sent to Maria Island?| A．To save their lives. | B．To treat their illness. |
| C．To make a further study. | D．To provide pleasure for visitors. |
| A．They live mainly on plants. |
| B．They mostly live in the wild. |
| C．They need to be protected in the zoo. |
| D．They help keep the balance of nature. |
| A．Well-trained wildlife. | B．Healthy baby devils. |
| C．Animals with DFTD. | D．Disease-free devils. |
| A．They are wonderful. | B．They are dangerous. |
| C．They are the same as before. | D．They are affected by human |
9 . Almost all animals need to sleep to stay healthy. But sleeping can also be dangerous because other animals may hurt those who are sleeping. This leads to many different ways of sleeping that help them stay safe. Some of these ways may surprise you!
Almost all bats sleep upside down. They hang from a branch of a tree or the ceiling of a cave. Up high, bats are safe from most other animals. If they are in danger, they just fly away.
A dolphin sleeps with just half its brain at a time. It must stay awake to breathe and to watch for danger. Dolphin mothers and babies can go without sleep for as long as two months to stay safe.
Some ducks sleep with just half their brains, too. These ducks often sleep in a line. The ducks at both ends help to keep the group safe. They keep one eye open to watch for danger. The ducks in the middle sleep deeply with both eyes closed.
Seals breathe air, but that doesn't stop some of them from sleeping underwater. They hold their breath and dive deep to sleep for up to twenty minutes at a time. Sleeping deep underwater helps these seals stay safe from animals that hunt them near the surface.
Horses often sleep standing up. Their legs lock in place so they don't fall over. If a horse is lying down, it needs a long time to get up. A horse can run from danger more quickly if it is already standing.
A flamingo (火烈鸟) can sleep while standing on one leg. The standing leg locks so it stays straight. The other leg remains close to the flamingo's body. Its head rests on its back. A flamingo lives (and sleeps) near many other birds to stay safe.
Some seabirds can sleep while they fly. These large birds spend most of their lives over the ocean. They are in danger on the water, but they are safe in the air. They fly for many hours without flapping (拍打) their wings. Sometimes they sleep while they are flying.
Would you like to sleep how they sleep?
1. The animals that sleep with half their brains are ___________.| A．ducks and seals | B．dolphins and ducks | C．bats and dolphins | D．flamingos and seabirds |
| A．To run from danger quickly. | B．To avoid falling over. |
| C．To help them to seep deeply. | D．To shorten the time to go to sleep. |
| A．offer to help | B．come to teach | C．refuse to protect | D．want to kill |
| A．How Animals Sleep | B．Sleep To Stay Healthy |
| C．Sleep As Animals Do | D．What Sleeping Animals Are Like |
1. What was the main reason for people to have dogs in the past?
| A．To help them work. | B．To make money. | C．To keep them safe. |
| A．They regard clogs as their friends. |
| B．Dogs are their children. |
| C．Dogs help them with everything. |
| A．A smart teacher. | B．A playing partner. | C．A helpful brother. |
| A．They regard dogs as their children. |
| B．Dogs can play with them. |
| C．Dogs make them feel safer. |
