An international team of researchers from the University of Oxford have found that the way people use the Internet is closely tied to the seasonal movements in the natural world. Their online species searches follow the patterns of seasonal animal migrations (迁徙).
Migratory birds (候鸟) flood back to where they reproduce every spring. That migratory behavior is accompanied by some human behavior. “In English-language Wikipedia (维基百科), the online searches for migratory species tend to increase in spring when those birds arrive in the United States,” said the lead author John Mittermeier.
And not just birds. Mittermeier and his team surveyed nearly 2.5 billion Wikipedia search records, for 32,000 species, across 245 languages. They also saw variable search rates for insects, horsetails and flowering plants. Seasonal trends seemed to be widespread in Wikipedia behavior for many species of plants and animals.
This finding suggests new ways to monitor changes in the world’s biological diversity. It also shows new ways to see how much people care about nature, and which species and areas might be the most effective targets for conservation.
Mittermeier is encouraged by the search results. He commented, “I think there’s a concern among conservationists (生态环境保护者) that people are losing touch with the natural world and that they’re not interacting with native species anymore. And so in that sense, it was really exciting and quite unexpected for me to see people’s Wikipedia interest closely related to changes in nature.”
Richard Grenyer, Associate Professor from the University of Oxford, says search data is useful to conservation biologists, “By using these big data approaches, we can direct our attention towards the difficult questions in modern conservation: which species and areas are changing, and where are the people who care the most and can do the most to help.”
1.What have researchers found about species searches?
A. They strengthen ties among people.
B. They affect the animal movements.
C. They differ in language backgrounds.
D. They reflect animal migration seasons.
2.What is the purpose of writing Paragraph 3?
A. To summarize the research process.
B. To further support the research findings.
C. To show the variety of species searches.
D. To present researchers’ heavy work load.
3.How does Mittermeier feel about the search results?
A. Satisfied with Wikipedia’s service.
B. Worried about Wikipedia behavior.
C. Amazed at people’s care about nature.
D. Sad about people’s not getting close to nature.
4.Why does Richard think such search data is useful?
A. It helps to aim at conservation targets.
B. It increases interest in big data approaches.
C. It keeps track of trends in biologists’work.
D. It pushes people to solve difficult problems.
It’s 3 o’clock and you’ve been hard at work. As you sit at your desk, a strong desire for chocolate overcomes you. You try to busy yourself to make it go away. But it doesn’t. Here is another situation. Perhaps you are not feeling well. The only thing you want to eat is a big bowl of chicken soup, like your mum used to make when you were sick as a child. Food cravings are a strong desire for a specific type of food. And they are normal.
Scientists at the website How Stuff Works compare hunger and cravings (渴望) this way. Hunger is a fairly simple connection between the stomach and the brain. They even call it simply “stomach hunger”. When our stomachs burn up all of the food we have eaten, a hormone (激素) sends a message to one part of the brain for more food, which regulates our most basic body functions such as thirst, hunger and sleep. The brain then produces a chemical to start the appetite and you eat. Hunger is a function of survival.
A craving is more complex. It activates brain areas related to emotion, memory and reward. These are the same areas of the brain activated during drug-craving studies. Because of this, some scientists call food cravings “mind hunger”. People often crave foods that are high in fat and sugar. Foods that are high in fat or high in sugar produce chemicals in the brain. These chemicals give us feelings of pleasure.
In a 2016 study, researchers at Cambridge University found that dieting or restricted eating generally increases the possibility of food cravings. So, the more you deny yourself a food that you want, the more you may crave it. However, fasting (禁食) is a bit different. They found that eating no food at all for a short period of time lessened food cravings.
So, the next time you crave something very specific, know that your brain may be more to blame than your stomach.
1.Which of the following statements is NOT true when “stomach hunger” appears?
A.The part of brain which regulates some functions of our body works.
B.A chemical is produced by the stomach to start the appetite.
C.All the food we have eaten has been exhausted.
D.A hormone delivers a message to the brain for food.
2.What do we learn about food cravings?
A.It means the stomach functions well.
B.It ensures a person survives hunger.
C.It shows food is linked to feelings.
D.It proves the brain decides your appetite.
3.What’s the likely result of dieting?
A.The increase of food desire. B.The decrease of chemicals.
C.The refusal of fat and sugar. D.The disappearance of appetite.
4.What is the best title of this passage?
A.Dieting: It Makes You Crave More
B.Fasting: It Lessens Food Cravings
C.Food Cravings: They are All in Your Brain
D.Hunger: It is a Function of Survival
Buster used to be a lovely dog playing and running on a farm all day before his handler (训练员). His life had a big change after Will’s presence because Will found he did extremely well in sniffing tests. Will thought Buster had a special talent and decided to let him become a member of RAF police working dogs. Buster began working with Flt Sgt Barrow in 2007, and the pair was sent to Afghanistan’s deadly Helmand province. There, Buster saved countless lives by sniffing out explosive devices (IEDs), as well as weapons. He joined his comrades repeatedly on foot patrols hunting Taliban terrorists and tracking down bombs. He also acted as a useful diplomatic tool, due to his friendly approach to local children. The RAF soon had a long train of children in tow, as Buster drew in his crowd and entertained them.
After his glittering service with the RAF, Buster retired in 2011, and died in 2015 at the age of 13 at the home of his handler, in Lincolnshire where he had been enjoying retirement with his handler Will, his wife Tracy and their two dogs who will inherit their father’s career.
Over the course of his career, Buster is thought to have saved more than 1,000 lives. He also helped patrol British bases and searched vehicles at check points, and upon retirement was made the official RAF Police mascot (吉祥物). Buster’s brave exploits were even documented in Flt Sgt Barrow’s book, which was published in January and soon became a best-selling one.
Buster completed five tours of duty in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Iraq and earned a row of campaign medals, and it was because of his great efforts in these austere environments full of terrorism that he would be remembered. It was the saving of countless lives by searching out IEDs that saw the honor of official lifetime mascot of the RAF Police bestowed（授予）upon Buster. The RAF police are now planning to honor Buster as part of a special event to celebrate RAF Police Working Dogs.
1.What made a big difference in Buster’s life?
A.He took a sniffing test.
B.Will found his special ability.
C.He was chosen to work for RAF.
D.Will decided to train him.
2.What can be inferred from the passage?
A.Buster was born at Will Barrow’s home in Lincolnshire.
B.Buster’s children will also be a member of RAF police working dogs.
C.Buster was bestowed the mascot during working in Afghanistan.
D.Buster’s death in a campaign is a great loss for the RAF Police.
3.The underlined word “austere” in the last paragraph probably means “_________”.
A.severe B.respectable
C.mild D.hopeless
4.The passage mainly talks about__________.
A.a heroic sniffer dog’s legendary life
B.the lifetime mascot of the RAF Police
C.Buster’s cooperation with his comrades
D.the love between a handler and his dog
Smart Kids Festival Events
Smart Kids is a collection of one hundred events scheduled in October. This year, it is experimenting with Pay What You Decide (PWYD). That is, you can decide to pay what you want to or can afford, after you have attended an event. You can pre-book events without paying for a ticket in advance. Here are some of the director’s picks.
Walk on the Wild Side
Not ticketed, Free
Join storyteller Sarah Law to hear science stories about animals. Along the way you’ll meet all sorts of beautiful creatures and discover life cycles and food chains. Best suited to children aged 5-9. Children under 8 must be accompanied by an adult.
Introduction to Waves
Pre-book, PWYD
Subjects range from sound waves to gravity waves, and from waves of light to crashing waves on the ocean. Mike Goldsmith explores the fundamental features shared by all waves in the natural world.
Science in the Field
Not ticketed, Free
This storytelling night features a scientist sharing his favourite memories of gathering first-hand data on various field trips. Come along for inspiring and informative stories straight from the scientist’s mouth. Join Mark Samuels to find out more in this fun-filled workshop.
Festival Dinner
Pre-book, £25 per person
Whether you want to explore more about food, or just fancy a talk over a meal, join us to mark the first science festival in London. Which foods should you eat to trick your brain into thinking that you are full? Find out more from Tom Crawford.
1.In which event can you decide the payment?
A. Walk on the Wild Side
B. Introduction to Waves
C. Science in the Field
D. Festival Dinner
2.Who will talk about experiences of collecting direct data?
A. Sarah Law.
B. Mike Goldsmith.
C. Mark Samuels.
D. Tom Crawford.
3.What do the four events have in common?
A. Family-based.
B. Science-themed.
C. Picked by children.
D. Filled with adventures.
假定你是李华，你的留学生朋友James来信询问你市即将举办的中国民谣节(the Chinese Balled Festival)的情况，请给他回信。
内容包括：
1.举办的时间和地点；
2.活动内容和目的；
3.邀请James 一同前往。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共 有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每句错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。 增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Before I started my winter holiday last year, I made a thoroughly plan. I make a list of what I should do during the holiday. Then I put them up on the wall in the room. Whenever I wanted to play with the mobile phone like I had done before, it reminded me to do what I supposed to do. As a result of, I spent a meaningful winter holiday. I finished my homeworks on time, read four novels or learned how to skate.
Later, I'm always convinced that take action is more important than making plans. Only by taking action can we get which we want.
