The koala is an unusual creature. Native to Australia and a bit bigger than a rabbit, it spends most of its time in eucalyptus trees（桉树），feeding on leaves that are poisonous to nearly every other animal on the planet.
The koala sleeps about 22 hours a day and spends the remainder of its time eating and resting. It might spend 10 minutes a day moving, experts say, usually from one tree to another. It has a soft pad at the end of its spine and extra thick fur on its rear end to make the effort, of sitting more comfortable.
Threats and protective measures
The unique lifestyle of the koala has helped it prosper, but today the cute and iconic creature is facing threats from habitat loss, disease and a changing climate. Koala populations are expected to decline by 50 percent in the next 20 years according to the Australian Museum.
To help protect these animals, which bring in an estimated $1.1 billion to Australia each year through koala-related tourism, an international team of researchers has published the first complete genome（基因组）of the koala. Their hope is that the keys to the marsupial’s（有袋动物）long-term survival might be planted in its genetic code.
“The ultimate goal is that we won’t have to…rescue them from the edge of extinction,”said Rebecca Johnson of the Australian Museum Research Institute in Sydney, who led the work.
“Now we have a really good understanding of the koala genome, and we are in a fantastic position to use that knowledge to help us manage them.”
Early findings
An elementary analysis of the koala’s genome, published in Nature Genetics, has already yielded some interesting findings.
For example, the authors found that, compared to other mammals, the koala’s DNA includes an expansion in the number of genes that encode for enzymes involved in anti-poison. That allows them to have a diet that depends almost entirely on eucalyplus leaves which are unusually high in poison. However, it also means that koalas metabolize（代谢）medicines like anti-chlamydia antibiotics faster than other animals.
The koala genome also revealed why koalas are such famously picky eaters. They are known to consume leaves from just 20 of Australia’s 60 known eucalyplus species. And even when they are in one of their preferred trees, koalas take leaf selection very seriously.
Information waiting to be discovered
Johnson said that the information encoded in the koala’s DNA is already being included in management strategies by conservation groups. However, she said the findings described in the new paper represent the early stages of what can be gleamed from the marsupial’s genome.
“The data is public, and I would love for anyone to start mining it and see what other amazing things they can find,”she said.“Once you have a genome of this quality, the sky’s the limit with what you can do with it.”
1.What can be concluded from the passage?
A. The research on the Koala’s DNA has prevented its extinction successfully.
B. Scientists are trying to rescue Koalas by providing more eucalyptus leaves.
C. Koala’s extinction is being controlled effectively in Australia.
D. Scientists are trying to find a way based on Koala’s gene to save them.
2.According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
A. Koalas can digest poisonous leaves thanks to their gene.
B. Koalas are particular about leaves because of their taste.
C. Koalas are being extinct just due to human’s activities.
D. Koalas will move to other continents in order to survive.
3.“The sky’s the limit”in the last sentence most probably means ___.
A. The sky is the restriction
B. The sky is too high to reach
C. There is no limit
D. There is no possibility
4.The passage is mainly about ___.
A. Koala-a Special Creature in Australia
B. scientific research on Koalas
C. scientific efforts to save the Koalas
D. Koala’s Characters and Preference
Families should reduce exposure to synthetic chemicals found in food colorings, preservatives and packaging materials as a growing body of research shows they may harm children’s health, according to a policy statement and technical report from the American Academy of Pediastrics released online.
The statement also suggests improvements to the food additives regulatory system, including updating the scientific foundation of the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations safety assessment retesting all previously approved chemicals.
Leonard Trasande ,the author of the policy statement, to tell us more about these concerns.
Q: What are the growing number of studies showing us?
A: Over the past two decades, an accumulating body of science suggests some food additives can interfere with a child’s hormones, growth and development.
Potentially harmful effects of food additives are of special concern for children because they are more sensitive to chemical exposures because they eat and drink more relative to body weight, than adults do and are still growing and developing. An early injury to their organ systems can have lifelong and permanent consequences.
Q: What additives does the statement highlight?
A: The additives of most concern, based on rising research evidence cited in the report, include:
Bisphenols, such as BPA, used to harden plastic containers and line metal cans, can act like estrogen（雌激素）in the body which may potentially change the timing of puberty, decrease fertility, increase body fat and affect the nervous and immune systems. BPA is now banned in baby bottles.
Phthalates, which make plastic and vinyl tubes used in industrial food production flexible, may affect male genital development increase childhood obesity and contribute to cardiovascular disease. In 2017, the Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the use or some phthalates in child-care products such as teething rings.
1.According to the American Academy of Pediatric’s report, people should ___ to cope with the problem of food additives.
A. try to avoid food additives in daily life and revise relevant rules on food additives
B. update the food safety assessment program and check the approved chemicals again
C. improve the food additives regulatory system and retest all approved chemicals
D. reduce the usage of food additives and establish new food protection system
2.Leonardo Trasande holds the view that food additives do more harm to children than adults because study shows ___.
A. children are more sensitive to what they eat and drink than adults
B. children usually eat and drink more unhealthy food than adults
C. children are just too young and weak to protect themselves
D. children’s organs are easier to be damaged and hard to recover
3.How many specific kinds of harmful effect caused by the additives are mentioned in the passage?
A. 2 B. 7
C. 8 D. 3
Many people prefer eating out instead of cooking at home. A change appears to be taking place, though, and millennials are leading the way. According to one survey, more young people are starting to cook at home for three basic reasons: They can save money, eat healthy and waste less food.
Popular TV chefs are also getting millennials excited about learning some basic cooking skills. Many millennials view cooking as a form of entertainment and self-expression. They proudly post pictures of their cooking creations on Facebook or Instagram, and invite friends over to share the cooking experience.
Many millennials have also found ways to avoid wasting food. After roasting a chicken, they put the leftover bones in their freezer instead of the garbage can. Later, they use the bones to make chicken stock which is an important ingredient in many dishes.
They also hate throwing out fruit that’s too old. To avoid that situation, they bake ripe fruit like berries and bananas for 15 minutes at 175 degrees C. Then they freeze it overnight. After that, they place the fruit in plastic bags and store it their freezer for later use.
Now any millennials only eat at restaurants that have excellent food-waste policies. These servants use every part of the vegetables they buy, including their stems and roots, in dishes. They also use beef, chicken and pork bones to make their own stock.
Millennials also reduce food waste by only buying what they require. Before going to a market, they write down what they need and don’t buy anything else. They way they won’t purchase more food than they can consume.
1.What is the main subject of this article?
A. A cooking trend that has attracted millennials.
B. A plan that millennials have for donating food.
C. A novel cooking technique that millennials like.
D. A food production system favored by millennials.
2.What do millennials with fruit before freezing it?
A. Mix it with other ingredients in a bowl.
B. Carefully remove the skin and seeds from it.
C. Use a sharp knife to chop it up into pieces.
D. Put it in an oven at the proper temperature.
3.According to this article, when do millennials make careful choices?
A. When they dine out together
B. Whey they vote for candidates
C. When they choose an employer
D. When they plant a new garden
4.According to this article, how do millennials avoid purchasing too much food?
A. They select small cans and packages.
B. They prepare a practical shopping list.
C. They leave their credit cards at home.
D. They weigh produce before buying it.
Serendipity - an unexpected delight – is the word that comes to mind when describing the seven-day hike my wife and I recently did in the wild and undeveloped northwest coast of Galicia, Spain.
Simply ________, anyone who is adventurous, loves traveling to Europe and is fit enough to do 10-mile hikes should seriously consider doing this hike.
Before this experience, I had never heard about On Foot Holidays programs that allow hikers to go at their own pace, with maps and detailed hiking ________, but without a guide or other travelers, while still enjoying a high level of local support.
What ________ caught my attention was an announcement about On Foot Holidays’ newest hike, the Lighthouse Way, which they described as a journey along“the last ________ coast of Europe.”This particular hike sounded both challenging and rewarding enough to ________ a try.
On Foot Holidays booked our lodging each night and ________ a taxi to take our baggage to the next destination, so we just had to carry our daypack essentials. Each day we ________ or spoke with the company’s local expert who was available ________ emergency, but whose main function was to keep us informed about the daily weather forecast and to make special taxi arrangements when we decided to ________ a couple of 14-mile hikes to less than 10 miles.
The ________ of the trails and scenery made every hike a delight. One of our hikes followed a narrow trail along a steep, rocky cliff ________ the steel-blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean that thrash against jagged rocks hundreds of feet below us. We stopped to picnic and watch the only living things we saw that whole day: a herd of goats above us, and a group of dolphins jumping in the waves below. In the distance, many of mountain peaks ________ sparkling wind turbines（涡轮机）like candles on a cake.
Silence and loneliness were the features of each day’s accommodation. The only sounds we heard were birds singing, the wind blowing through trees or the waves breaking against the shoreline. The air was clean and the temperature brisk, with frequent ________ of cloudy, cool, windy and rainy weather interspersed（点缀）with glorious bursts of sunshine.
There was remarkably little litter, the exception being spots along the shore where ocean currents ________ mostly fishing items.
My wife and I realized that we are pilgrims searching for meaning, awareness and joy on our journey through life, and our Galician hiking ________ had moved us further down that path in ways we won’t forget.
1.A. lost B. moved C. urged D. put
2.A. strings B. instructions C. devices D. materials
3.A. initially B. gradually C. smoothly D. firmly
4.A. recommended B. developed C. unspoiled D. discovered
5.A. warrant B. provide C. imagine D. evaluate
6.A. prepared for B. arranged for C. paid for D. turned to
7.A. negotiated B. discussed C. contacted D. texted
8.A. in addition to B. in need of C. in case of D. in favour of
9.A. shorten B. extend C. decrease D. expand
10.A. appearance B. variety C. character D. route
11.A. displaying B. reflecting C. following D. overlooking
12.A. established B. lightened C. sported D. structured
13.A. changes B. intervals C. adaptions D. interactions
14.A. stretched B. withdrawn C. floated D. deposited
15.A. experience B. technique C. investigation D. experiment
Directions：After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.
Curiosity is part of human nature. Children are famous for wanting answers 1. tons of questions. People keep reading or watching 2. they want to find out what happens. But curiosity also provides many practical benefits.
Learning is easiest if you have a genuine desire for knowledge. Curiosity can create that desire when you have a question.
Many of history greatest discoveries 3.（make）by curious people. People wondered 4. processes worked or how certain tasks could be done more effectively. Thanks to their curiosity, people now know far more about the world and have useful technology 5.（help）them.
Even if you don’t plan to be an inventor of researcher, curiosity can still help you in the classroom. If you develop the joy of learning, classes will become more fun. And you’ll excel because you will be fully engaged in the process of learning. Even if you’re no longer a student, curiosity will make you better 6.（inform）and thus a more capable worker.
What do you do if you’re not already curious? Fortunately, curiosity is a skill that can be improved. If you act like you’re curious, you’ll quickly start to actually feel curious. Often, the more you learn about a topic the 7.（interesting）it becomes.
As you learn about a topic, gather information from as many sources as possible. Read a variety of books, watch or listen to lectures and ask questions. Don’t always get your information from the same source. Instead, learn to appreciate facts that different people know and the different opinions 8. they express.
Ask a lot of questions, Remember, everyone knows 9. that you don’t. Find out what that is, and ask about it. This lets you learn something and makes the other person happy by letting them show off their knowledge.
In the classroom or out of it, 10.（develop）curiosity is sure to be worthwhile.
阅读下面短文，然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。
Peppa Pig
An upcoming film's trailer(预告片)has garnered huge attention on China's social media platforms, with many netizens dubbing the short video as the "best commercial video of 2019".
The 5-minute trailer is advertising the upcoming animated film Peppa Celebrates Chinese New Year, which revolves around the question "Who is Peppa?" and tells a touching story that highlights Chinese families.
In the beginning, a senior man named Li Yubao living in a remote rural area asked his grandson on the phone what gifts he wanted for the Spring Festival, but only heard the word "Peppa" due to the poor mobile signal. Therefore, the man begins an interesting journey to discover who Peppa is.
With the help of neighbors, the senior got closer to the answer, created a Peppa Pig model using metals and his own intuition, and surprised his grandson.
At the end of the story, the man found out Peppa was a cartoon figure and enjoyed the film with the whole family during the holiday season.
（写作内容）
1. 请用30个单词概述上文主要内容。
2. 请用120个词写出:
(1)这个广告预告片的意义?
(2)谈谈为什么老年人希望孩子常回家看看以及我们年轻人该做点什么。
（写作要求）
1. 写作过程中不能直接引用原文语句；
2. 作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称；
（评分标准） 内容完整，语言规范，语篇连贯，词数适当。
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