Antarctica remained largely untouched by humans for thousands of years, allowing an ecosystem to develop independently. However, since the 1990s, the last wild land on the planet is becoming an increasingly popular destination for adventure-seeking tourists. Now, a study newly conducted shows the visitors may be leaving behind harmful bacteria which could destroy that area’s bird population.
We mainly hear about zoonoses（动物传染病）— diseases like Ebola and pig flu — that are spread from animals to humans, yet humans can also infect animals with illnesses such as the flu. Researchers, however, believed that Antarctic animals, which had no recorded reverse（反向的）cases of zoonoses, were not affected by the danger due to the extreme environment. But microbiologists Marta Cerda-Cuellar at the Research Center for Animal Health, was not convinced this was true.
So she and some colleagues decided to examine waste samples from Antarctic birds for evidence of human bacteria. To ensure the waste was not polluted, the scientists had to collect it from the birds themselves. This was no easy task. It took the scientists four years to collect waste samples of 666 adult birds from 24 local species. However, it was well worth the effort. The results of their study showed the presence of several types of human bacteria in the bird waste.
“The bacteria, which are a common cause for infections in humans, don’t usually cause death in wild animals,” says Cerda-Cuellar. “However, the pathogens（病原体）that arrive to highly sensitive populations could cause extinction of some populations and destroy the local ecosystem.” The researcher also fears the presence of these bacteria could foresee the arrival of other, more deadly, pathogens as the number of people visiting the area increases. While the best solution would be to prevent tourism, Cerda-Cuellar, who believes it is because of efforts from tourist and scientific groups that Antarctica remains largely protected, says that’s impossible. “While we should do as much as possible to reduce the spread, it’s hard to believe we’ll stop tourism and science at these sites, and so it is hard to believe that humans won’t continue to pass on pathogens.”
1.Which of the following will the new study support?
A.The Antarctic becomes popular with tourists.
B.The Antarctic ecosystem is destroyed by outsiders.
C.Zoonoses are spread from animals to humans.
D.Tourists expose Antarctic birds to human bacteria.
2.Why did researchers think Antarctic animals were free from human diseases?
A.The Antarctic weather is extraordinarily cold.
B.The number of tourists to the Antarctic is small.
C.There was no recorded case of reverse zoonoses.
D.An independent ecosystem was in place in Antarctica.
3.What advice might Cerda-Cuellar give?
A.Strengthen researches into Antarctic animals.
B.Stop tourism and science in Antarctica.
C.Restrict the number of visitors to Antarctica.
D.Monitor the presence of other pathogens.
4.In which section of a magazine might the text be found?
A.Health. B.Science.
C.Tourism. D.Geography.
There are multiple experiences a Westerner can describe as a “culture shock” in China, one of the fastest-growing economies, like eating mouthwatering baozi for breakfast. These experiences, however, paled in comparison to the one I experienced during my time in an organization I’ve been serving in for two years to provide free educational tours at my leisure — the advancement and equalizing of China’s known wealth disparity（差异）through the social network and cashless payment giant（巨头）, WeChat, which I rarely used before.
Last month, the organization led a thrilling trip to camp. Initially, we went through a village kept alive by the residents. The views there are so attractive and refreshing. Walking through endless red apple trees, I saw an elderly woman who gently offered to sell me apples. Unfortunately, I informed her I didn’t have cash on hand. She quickly told me to scan the QR code（二维码）on her phone, which in seconds would get my money into her bank account via WeChat. Needless to say, I was blown away. And of course, the apples were tasty.
As an advocate of financial growth opportunities in under-served communities, it was inspiring to witness that technology lets people contribute to the economy regardless of socioeconomic background in China. Though the socioeconomic problems remain to some extent, access to and adoption of technology creating financial opportunities transforms the lives of everyday citizens and enables communities to flower.
While I once didn’t believe a “cashless society” was possible and thought it could cause more unfavorable conditions, I now stand corrected. Perhaps it might take longer for New York City to adapt, as we lag behind in this transformation and there is so much we can learn. I also wonder what the human race can achieve when technology provides endless opportunities for people of all backgrounds to advance.
1.What does the first paragraph tell us about the author?
A.She is struggling with culture shock.
B.She really enjoys Chinese breakfast.
C.She does voluntary work when free.
D.She likes using social networks.
2.Which of the following surprised the author during the trip?
A.Scenery of the village. B.Taste of the apples.
C.Popularity of WeChat. D.The way of paying.
3.What is the author’s attitude to a cashless society?
A.Critical. B.Positive.
C.Concerned. D.Curious.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.Technology helps narrow the wealth gap
B.New York will be the next cashless society
C.Humans will achieve more with technology
D.China becomes the fastest-growing economy
Dear Editors of Macquarie Dictionary,
My name is Wendy, a second generation Chinese-Australian migrant(移民)and a mother of two young children. I’m writing to express my disappointment in one of Macquarie Dictionary’s entries, namely the definition of the word “monolid”.
In both the paper version(7th edition)and online version of the Dictionary, Macquarie defines “monolid” as: “An upper eyelid without a fold, perceived by some in Asia to give an appearance of laziness.” This definition has disturbed me and many Asians living in Australia. Linguistically(从语言学角度讲), the term “monolid” is a pretty unbiased description of a physical characteristic that involves no feelings, common to over 50% of people of East Asian origin. It’s no different to other terms describing a physical feature including “blonde” or “freckle”.
Take a minute and consider this. Would it be appropriate if the definition of “blonde” became “having fair or light-coloured hair, thought by some in Western countries as possessing little or no intelligence”? Or would it be appropriate if the definition of “freckle” was “a small brownish spot in the skin or face, thought by some as creating an ugly appearance”?
In addition, it is also inappropriate that Macquarie Dictionary — a dictionary of choice by many Australian schools — defines a term in a way which may create negative racial connection for Australian children of East Asian origin. Both my kids are born with monolids, a constant reminder of their cultural background. It therefore breaks my heart to imagine a scene where they turn to the dictionary to find that their physical feature is associated with “laziness”. What if they get teased by their school friends that they are born “lazy”? What if my sensitive older son starts hating himself and his race classification for being associated with something negative?
For the reasons above, I urge Macquarie Dictionary to adjust the current definition of “monolid”. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Wendy
1.Why does the author write this letter?
A.To ask for information about a definition.
B.To express dissatisfaction with a definition.
C.To offer advice on how to define a word.
D.To give examples of defining physical features.
2.What does “unbiased” underlined in paragraph 2 probably mean?
A.General. B.Precise.
C.Subjective. D.Objective.
3.What is the function of paragraph 3?
A.Calling for readers’ attention.
B.Supporting the author’s position.
C.Raising the author’s concern.
D.Introducing two words in the dictionary.
4.In what way is the author worried about her children?
A.They might get into bad habits and be lazy.
B.They might choose to use the dictionary.
C.They might become victims of the definition.
D.They might have monolids.
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1.Which is the function of Pain Relieving Foot Cream?
A.Repairing damaged skin B.Relieving stiffness in feet.
C.Preventing strong foot pain. D.Curing pain in lower body .
2.What do the three products have in common?
A.They are sold at the same places. B.They have satisfaction guarantees .
C.They have no known side effects. D.They offer a better deal when ordered three.
3.What type of writing does this text belong to?
A.A study. B.A direction
C.An advertisement. D.A notice.
请阅读下面短文，并按照要求用英语写一篇150词左右的文章。
Is youth lingo ruining the Chinese language?
Young people often create their own language that goes beyond rigid linguistic rules. This year’s latest slang (俚语) terms add a further simplification: the use of pinyin acronyms (首字母缩略词). “Awsl,” in pinyin, for instance,means “Ah, wo si le” (Oh, I’m gonna die), and is used if something is too cute or adorable to bear. “Pyq” stands for “pengyou quan”, the social feed on the popular Chinese social media app WeChat, and “nsdd” stands for “ni shuo de dui” (you’re right).
Teens want to be different from their parents, so it’s natural for them to create and use their own linguistic terms to show that. In doing so, young people are indeed driving linguistic change. They aren’t the only factor influencing language development, but they can indeed transform how future generations communicate.
Critics fear that Chinese internet slang will have the potential to negatively influence broader linguistic trends of Mandarin Chinese, in particular, the gradual taking over of pinyin. As pinyin gets widely used when texting or writing on mobile phone or computer, while less and less people write characters by hand, people gradually forget how to write them. The phenomenon has got a name in China: Character amnesia(健忘症).
（写作内容）
1. 用约30个单词概述上文年轻人使用网络语言的现象；
2. 用约120个单词发表你的观点，内容包括:谈谈你的看法，用2〜3个理由或论据支撑你的看法。
（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；
3. 不必写标题。
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请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。
Generally speaking, perfectionism is a good thing, if it makes you do better work and try harder to complete tasks well. However, perfectionism can become a bad thing when it stops you feeling satisfied with yourself or what you’ve accomplished. Every artist knows how important it is to stop adding touches to their paintings and how constantly adding elements can end up ruining the work. If you constantly demand only the very best from yourself, this can damage your self-respect as you find nothing you do will live up to your expectations. And if you extend this harsh (无情的) judgment to your friends and family and only focus on the negatives around them, you will find that they begin to dislike and avoid you.
So how do you get rid of these kinds of negative perfectionism? The following suggestions might help you a lot.
First of all, you’d better think twice about your standards. Look at what other people do. How long does it take them to carry out a project? Are their lower standards getting them fired? Do they still accomplish good work? Are your exacting (苛求的) standards worth the cost in terms of time and energy? I am sure that you can learn a lot from your answers.
Secondly, don’t always compare yourself with others. Perfectionists tend to have high standards. For example, an artist who thinks his work is never done might be comparing his paintings to those of Vincent van Gogh, Leonardo da Vinci or other great artists. Remember that only a few people can become great masters and that most of us are just common people.
Last but not least, try to look at the situation objectively. If you are constantly adjusting things and never feel satisfied, then the chances are that you are too close to the situation and that you can’t judge it rightly any more. You’d better ask those around you what they think and whether they think your work is good enough. Besides, give your project some breathing space by leaving it alone for some time, so you can come back to it with “fresh eyes”.
Nobody, nor any idea, is perfect. If you have a perfectionist streak in you, try and let it go, and embrace the process of getting your idea out into the world, rather than focusing on the end result.
Perfectionism is holding you back | ||
1. perfectionism can cause | It can make one 2. with himself or his achievements. It can get one’s self-respect damaged. It can make one lose3. among his friends and family members. | |
Ways of 4. perfectionism | 5. your standards | You need to find out what other people’s standards are. |
Avoid making unwise 6. | It is not sensible for you to 7. yourself to become a great master. | |
Get a(n) 8. view | Ask others for their 9. about your work. Step back for a while and then return to your work with “fresh eyes” | |
Conclusion | Perfection doesn’t actually 10.. Striving to do your best is good enough and will eventually lead you down a brilliant path. |
