Antaretica’s ice-white environment is going green and facing other unexpected threats. Scientists say that as temperatures go up in the polar region, invading (入侵) plants and insects, including the flies, cause a major conservation threat.
More and more of these invaders, in the form of larvae (幼虫) or seeds, are surviving in coastal areas around the South Pole, where the temperature has risen by more than 3℃ over the past three decades. Glaciers have retreated, exposing more land which has been occupied by mosses that have been found to be growing more quickly and thickly than ever before-providing potential green homes for invaders.
“The common house flies are a perfect example of the problem the Antarctic now faces from invading species,” said Dominic Hodgson of the British Antarctic Survey. “It comes in on ships, where it exists in kitchens and then at bases on the continent. It now has an increasing chance of surviving in the Antarctic as it warms up, and that is a worry. Insects like the house flies carry bacteria that could have a deadly effect on native lifeforms.”
The Antarctic has several native species of insects. Together with its native mosses, these are now coming under increased threat from three major sources: visiting scientists, increasing numbers of tourists and global warming. However, it is global warming that is the main driver of the greening of Antarctica.
In 2015, more than 38,000 tourists visited Antarctica. “These tourists are often very careful about not leaving waste or having mud. But they could carry seeds or larvae on their boots when they set foot on the Antarctic,” said Hodgson.
More and more invasive insects and plants have been found on the Antarctic and have required removal. “the insects and plants that are native to Antarctica have survived these for thousands of years,” said Hodgson. “We have got to act now if we want to save the environment.”
1.What does the underlined world “mosses” in paragraph 2 refer to?
A. A kind of plants B. House flies
C. Coastal areas D. A kind of animals
2.What is the main cause of the Antarctic going green?
A. Scientists’ coming. B. Global warming.
C. A growing number of visitors D. The rapid spread of native planting.
3.What do we know about the house flies in the Antarctic?
A. They are native to the Antarctic.
B. They will disappear due to the cold climate.
C. They seriously affected the Antarctic native species
D. They directly fly to the Antarctic from nearby islands.
4.What’s the best title for the text?
A. The Antarctic Is Faced with Various Threats
B. The Antarctic Is Becoming Green and Energetic
C. More and More Scientists Get to Explore the Antarctic
D. Global Warming has Caused the Temperature in the Antarctic to Rise up
Thirteen-year-old Kaylee has a lot of friends—532, actually, if you count up both her Instagram followers and Facebook friends, And she spends a lot of time with them.
But is it possible that Kaylee’s online friendships could be making her lonely? That’s what some experts believe Connecting online is a great way to stay in touch, they say. However, some experts worry that many kids are so busy connecting online that they might be missing out on true friendships.
Could this be true? During your parents’ childhoods, connecting with friends usually means spending time with them in the flesh. Kids played Scrabble around a table, not Words With Friends on their phones. When friends missed each other, they picked up the telephone. Friends might even write letters to each other.
Today, most communication takes place online. A typical teen sends 2,000 texts a month and spends more than 44 hours per week in front of a screen. Much of his time is spent on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
In fact, in many ways, online communication can make friend ships stronger, “There’s definitely positive influence. Kids can stay in constant contact, which means they can share more of their feelings with each other,” says Katie, co-author of the App Generation.
Other experts, however, warn that too much online communication can get in the way of forming deep friendships. “If we are constantly checking in with our virtual worlds, we will have little time for our real world friendships.” says Rosen, a professor at California State University.
Rosen also worries that today s kids might mistake the “friends” on the social media for true friends in life. However, in tough times, you didn’t need someone to like your picture or share your tweet. You needed someone who would keep your secrets and hold you hand. You would like to talk face to face.
1.What is the purpose of the first paragraph?
A. To summarize the text. B. To tell about true friends.
C. To bring up a discussion. D. To encourage online dating.
2.What is Katie’s attitude towards online communication?
A. Worried. B. Optimistic.
C. Confused. D. Unconcerned.
3.What view does Rosen hold?
A. It’s wise to turn to friends online.
B. It’s easier to develop friendships in reality.
C. Facebook helps people stay closely connected.
D. Busy online communication may affect real world friendships.
4.Where can you find the former generations approach of communication?
A. In paragraph 6. B. In paragraph 5.
C. In paragraph 4. D. In paragraph 3.
On her first day in New York City, teaching students from low-income families at an after-school program, Alyssa Kapasi noticed so many kids were lining up for free sandwiches and fruit in the cafeteria. Many of these poor students don’t get enough food to eat at home, so a free school lunch or a free after-school meal might be the most food they would get all day.
Kapasi, who graduated from private school, was shocked. Therefore, she was determined to help. “I want other kids to understand that if they meet a problem, they don’t have to wait to be an adult to salve it,” says Kapasi. She and a group of friends are now putting their programming skills ta work to create an app called Food for Thought, which will allow parents, students and even kind-hearted strangers to donate to a lunch account for a student in need at a nearby school.
About 20 million American kids receive free lunches. Two million more quality for reduced-price meals, and those students’ families may pay for part of their food. When they don’t have the money on any day. the students might have to choose an “alternative meal” such as a free cheese sandwich.
One clever feature of the app which is being supported by donation from companies and social investors—is that it provides anonymity (匿名) to lunch recipients and donors. To receive financial help, a family will need only a recommendation from a school administrator, and no one else knows.
“I want to make the application a platform where all users feel no shame in using it,” says Kapasi. She hopes to test the app in a school district next month. And then, she will devote herself to charity.
1.Why did so many students have to eat school food according to paragraph 1?
A. The food was cheap. B. They preferred to eat in the cafeteria.
C. The food was very delicious. D. They lacked food at home.
2.What is the function of the app?
A. Selling food to the student. B. Allowing people to help poor students.
C. Communicating well with students parents. D. Helping students study well.
3.What is special about the app?
A. It is attractive and fun. B. It is convenient to apply.
C. It manages users’ information secretly. D. It can tell who is badly in need of food.
4.What can we learn about the app?
A. It has been abandoned half way. B. It is being created by a student.
C. It is about to be put into practice. D. It is being used in a school district.
The Ice and Snow Festival Highlights
It will fall upon January 1st, 2019 and last till the early March, 2019, Based on the theme of “Bright Pearl of the Crown of Ice and Snow”, a variety of activities about ice and snow, concerning tourism, culture, fashion and sport, will be open to all tourists.
Type | Activity | Time | Place |
Art | The 11th International College Students Snow Sculpture Competition—Inspiration Snow Dream | Jan. 4th～7th | Harbin Engineering University |
Culture | The 35th Group Wedding Ceremony on the Ice | Feb. 5th | Zhaolin Park |
The 30th Hundred-Flower Dance contest | Feb. 13th | People’s Stadium | |
2019 New Year Concert | Feb. 20th | City Concert Hall | |
Tourism | The 31st Sun Island Snow Sculpture Art Exposition for senior people | Feb. 5th～10th | Sun Island Scenic Area |
Sport | International Contract of Ice and Snow | Feb. 6th and 7th | Friendship Palace |
International Winter Swimming Inviting Competition | Jan. 1st for trail operation and officially opening on Jan. 5th, till the early Mar. | Jiuzhan Park |
1.Where can you go to see college students’ snow sculpture works?
A. Harbin Engineering University. B. People’s Stadium.
C. Sun Island Scenic Area. D. Friendship Palace.
2.Who is the 31st Sun Island Snow Sculpture Art Exposition intended for?
A. Newly-married couples. B. The old.
C. College students. D. The young.
3.Which event will last the longest time?
A. 2019 New Year Concert.
B. The 30th Hundred-Flower Dance Contest.
C. The 05th Group Wedding Ceremony on the Ice.
D. International Winter Swimming Inviting Competition.
阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。
Technology is forever changing the way we get our news. Many people now get a lot of their news on electronic devices, instead of traditional media, such as newspapers, television or radio. An increasing number of people also report turning to social media for information
Now, there is a new technology that could greatly change the way we get the news: computer-created news readers. Recently, China launched what it called the worlds first artificial intelligence, or Al news presenters.
The news readers, supported by machine learning technology, are based on two real-life Chinese newsmen. One is able to present newscasts in English, the other, in Mandarin Chinese Report said machine learning was used to examine video images and sounds of the two newsmen. Similar technology has been used to create video products known as “deepfake” videos. "A deepfake a video that looks real, but was electronically changed. Such videos can make people appear to say things they never said
It's said that the Al presenters will be a great improvement to the news team because they "can work 24 hours a day" on its website and on social media. One of the presenters even promised to work tirelessly" to keep people informed. Some machine learning experts said the system showed off Chinas latest progress in voice recognition, text-to-speech technology and data analysis
Others wondered about the effects robots might have on employment and workers. Some people argued that only low-level jobs requiring heavy labor will be easily replaced by robots. Others praised the technology as a way for companies to make money from low-cost labor machines. Some businesses have experimented with similar technology for possible use in news operations.
Britain’s BBC recently released a video that used machine learning to make it look like one of its news readers speaking different languages. The London-based company that developed the system says its goal is to "remove the language barrier" for many different kinds of video across the internet. Also, Amazon's working on Alexa smart speaker system to create a special news reader voice. Amazon is reportedly preparing to launch Alexas news reader voice in the near future
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假定你是校学生会成员李华，负责学校中国传统文化系列活动之一 Tea Party。请给外籍老师John写一封邮件，邀请他前来参加。内容包括:
1.活动的时间地点
2.活动的具体安排
3.你的联系方式
注意
1.词数80左右
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯
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