It’s hard to be a bird in a world which is in the charge of mankind.
You can hardly hear yourself sing, let alone hear the songs of your friends… and worst of all, you can’t hear a predator(捕食者). Noise is almost everywhere, especially noise from traffic.
Researchers have tried to study the influence of road noise on animals by looking at animals living near noisy roads.
“We figured out a way to have just the noise without any of the other effects of the road, and to do that we put many speakers in a forest where there was no road,” said Chris McClure, a biologist at Boise State University and The Peregrine Fund. He and his team carried out their experiment at a place popular with birds in Idaho as they fly south for the winter.
While the noise kept lots of birds away, some remained. But they had trouble putting on enough weight to support them in the next part of their migratory journey.
“They have to take food but they also have to avoid getting eaten by a predator. But these two things can’t be done at the same time because to eat, they have to look down, which means they aren’t looking at predators.”
And when it’s too loud, they can’t hear the alarm calls of other birds. So they have to waste time looking for predators instead of searching for food.
By 2050, it’s thought that enough new roads will be built to circle the planet more than 600 times. But there’s an easy solution to the noise problem—“Lowering speed limits does a lot.”
So next time you’re driving through nature, just slow down a little. It’s safer for you and the wildlife. And you can enjoy the view a little longer.
1.Who does the word “you” in Para 2 refer to?
A.A driver. B.A predator. C.A researcher. D.A bird.
2.Why did the researchers do the experiment in a forest without roads?
A.To prevent birds from being hit by cars.
B.To separate noise from other effects of the road.
C.To test a larger number of birds.
D.To put as many speakers as possible.
3.Why can’t birds put on enough weight with much noise around?
A.They can’t concentrate on looking for food.
B.They have to fly south for the winter.
C.They can’t hear the alarm calls.
D.They feel afraid of the noise.
4.What is advised to do to protect birds from the noise problem?
A.To build enough new roads.
B.To carry out more experiments.
C.To enjoy the view a little longer.
D.To drive slowly through nature.
“Cleverness is a gift while kindness is a choice. Gifts are easy – they’re given after all. Choices can be hard.” ---Jeff Bezos.
I got the idea to start Amazon 16 years ago. I came across the fact that the Internet usage was growing at 2,300 percent per year. I'd never seen or heard of anything that grew that fast, and the idea of building an online bookstore with millions of titles was very exciting to me. I had just turned 30 years old, and I'd been married for a year. I told my wife MacKenzie that I wanted to quit my job and go to do this crazy thing that probably wouldn't work since most start-ups don't, and I wasn't sure what to expect. MacKenzie told me I should go for it. As a young boy, I’d been a garage inventor. I'd always wanted to be an inventor, and she wanted me to follow my passion.
I was working at a financial firm in New York City with a bunch of very smart people, and I had a brilliant boss that I admired very much. I went to my boss and told him I wanted to start a company selling books on the Internet. He took me on a long walk in Central Park, listened carefully to me, and finally said. “That sounds like a really good idea, but it would be an even better idea for someone who didn't already have a good job.” That logic made some sense to me, and he convinced me to think about it for 48 hours before making a final decision. Seen in that light, it really was a difficult choice, but eventually, I decided I had to give it a shot. I didn't think I'd regret trying and failing. And I suspected I would always be haunted by a decision not to try at all.
After much consideration, I took the less safe path to follow my passion, and I’m proud of that choice. For all of us, in the end, we are our choices.
1.What inspired the author with the idea of building an online bookstore?
A.His dream of being an inventor. B.Millions of exciting titles.
C.The support of his wife. D.The greatly increasing usage of the Internet.
2.Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined sentence?
A.He would be always feeling unsafe if he didn't try.
B.He would be very excited if he tried it out.
C.The idea of not trying would keep coming to his mind and disturb him.
D.The decision not to build the online bookstore would terrify him.
3.What can we know from the text?
A.The author appreciated his boss’s encouragement.
B.The author might not regret if he failed the idea.
C.The author might go back to his boss if he failed.
D.The author wanted someone else to try the idea.
4.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A.We Are What We Choose B.The Starting of Amazon
C.Cleverness and Kindness D.Following My Passion
Pastime is a bi-monthly magazine for curious young minds. Many of the topics we write about won't be covered in the classroom. All the articles are written in a lively style, and each one is paired with drawings by some of the country's most talented artists.
◇ History focuses on archaeological(考古的) sites around the world where archaeologists work to unearth important finds.
◇ World includes stories about daily life, folk tales, and culture and traditions of the people and places.
◇ Sport includes nutrition tips, information about up and coming young athletes, and sports events.
◇ Art stimulates a child's cultural life, from film to theatre through to writing and music.
On top of all that, Pastime is packed with items to stimulate a youngster's imagination, including pages of puzzles and a step-by-step guide to creating their own impressive-looking drawings.
In every issue, we review the latest books top authors write for this age group. There are short works of fiction written especially for Pastime by some of our best writers.
We know that children at this age are dealing with many emotions and sometimes difficult feelings, we have a personal advice page to reply to questions dealing with personal and moral questions.
Unlike many of today's throwaway comics, Pastime is written and designed to be kept and treasured. We know children love going online---but we also know how much they enjoy holding a printed magazine in their hands, and the excitement they get when each new issue drops through the letterbox personally addressed to them.
Subscription
• Pastime is published six times a year. An annual subscription costs just ￡20 and makes a great gift for any child aged eight to twelve.
• To order by phone: Dial 1-800-821-0156 and use Offer Code WEBSAVE86 for print-only subscriptions.
• You can cancel at any time for magazines that haven't shipped yet.
1.Which of the following topics can a reader read if he is interested in festivals?
A.World B.History C.Sport D.Art
2.What does the magazine provide?
A.Photos of talented artists. B.Stories created by children.
C.Book reviews written by students. D.Suggestions on readers' problems.
3.For subscription, what does one need to know?
A.The magazine offers electronic copies.
B.The magazine is published every two months.
C.The magazine is for kindergarten children.
D.The magazine costs ￡20 for each copy.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What does Alexandra Grace work for?
A.QS World University Ranking System.
B.New Zealand Embassy Beijing.
C.The Multi-cultural Environment Organization.
2.What stops some students choosing New Zealand for study?
A.Its environment. B.Its population. C.Its size.
3.What’s the total yearly cost for a Chinese student to study in a New Zealand university?
A.20,000 dollars. B.45,000 dollars. C.25,000 dollars.
4.What message about New Zealand does the speaker mainly convey?
A.Its higher education is suitable for Chinese students.
B.Its multi-cultural environment is good for tourists.
C.Its breath-taking scenery is absolutely worth seeing.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Why did the man miss the woman’s phone call yesterday?
A.His phone was turned off.
B.He didn’t take his phone with him.
C.He was taking a shower.
2.What did the woman do yesterday?
A.She went shopping. B.She played computer games. C.She went to a concert.
3.Why did the woman call the man?
A.To invite him to her sister’s wedding.
B.To ask something about Megan.
C.To invite him to her wedding.
4.When will the woman pick up the man next Saturday?
A.At 14:00. B.At 13:20. C.At 13:00.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What is Miss Lan going to work as in Ola city?
A.A teacher. B.A nurse. C.A doctor.
2.What worries Miss Lan so much?
A.The people in Ola are not friendly.
B.The work in Ola is hard to do.
C.She has no friends in Ola.
3.How will Miss Lan keep in touch with Mr. Huang after she arrives in Ola?
A.By letter. B.By phone. C.By e-mail.
