2-year-old Truett Palmer was born in Mis...

    Each summer, Craig Stihler and Jack Wallace, scientists for the state of West Virginia hike to Peacock Cave to count Virginia big-eared bats. 1.. They want to see if the number of bats is going up or down.

I was there to learn about the bats for my book. After we arrived at the small entrance to Peacock Cave, Craig and Jack unpacked their equipment. Crale said, “2. .Hibernating (冬眠)bats may be awakened and fly around and burn up the fat they've stored in their bodies. Without that food supply, they might not live until spring when they can eat insects again. And bat mothers may drop their babies. “

As night settled in，they set up a night-vision scope (观察仪器）.3. .They also set up a radio-like bat detector outside the cave. It picks up bat sounds that our ears can’t hear. For the next two hours, Craig counted the bats by speaking into a handheld voice recorder each time five bats flew out of the cave. By the time the last bat left the cave at about 10:30 p. m., Craig and Jack had counted 1,242 bats! 4. .Craig explained that when the first count was taken at Peacock Cave in 1983, there were only 160 Virginia big-eared bats. Projects to help protect bats have helped the bats make a remarkable comeback. Today the total number of Virginia big-eared bats there are more than 25,000.

5. .They will continue to need human’s help if they are going to survive into the future.

A.Why do they do so?

B.It allows them to see the bats in darkness.

C.Virginia big-eared bats are medium-sized.

D.Bats are important because they eat insects.

E.They want to catch some bats for their research.

F.Bats living in caves can suffer if disturbed by people.

G.That was the most Craig and Jack had ever counted there.

    When you drink a glass of water or take a shower, think of glaciers. Why? Glaciers contain at least 75 percent of Earth’s fresh water－much more than all our planet’s lakes and rivers combined.

Glaciers grow by adding a new layer of snow each year. It’s easy for scientists to see the annual layers in an ice core by lighting it from beneath. They can then count the layers to determine the age of any section…much like you can count tree rings to determine a tree’s age.

Glaciers form by the accumulation, press and recrystallization of snow. It requires very specific conditions of climate and geography, which means that they are found in or high mountain regions where snowfall is heavy in winter, temperatures stay below freezing for long periods, and summers are cool.

“Hot” ice! Is that possible? Actually, ice is one of the hottest solids in existence, for it is unsteady and easy to melt when heated. Glaciers are always moving, but because ice is hot, they like liquids rather than solids. They slide over the ground on melt-water, a very thin layer of water from melted ice, and “creep” when their icy layers glide over one another because of their weight. Different parts of the same glacier slide or creep at different speeds. The center moves more rapidly than the sides; the surface moves more rapidly than the bottom, because the sides and bottom are restricted by friction. Most glaciers move several feet per year, while others “race” a few miles.

Unfortunately, glaciers are shrinking throughout the world. Melting glaciers will raise sea levels, forcing people to move from low-lying areas.

1.What does the underlined word “it” refer to in paragraph3?

A.The change of glaciers. B.The press of glaciers.

C.The accumulation of glaciers. D.The forming of glaciers.

2.Why do we say the ice is “hot”?

A.Because it keeps sliding or creeping. B.Because it is close to its melting point.

C.Because it absorbs too much sunshine. D.Because the surrounding temperature is low.

3.What is happening to glaciers?

A.They are spreading. B.They are disappearing.

C.They are rising. D.They are racing.

4.What is the best title of this passage?

A.The History of Glaciers. B.The Development of Glaciers.

C.The Secrets about Glaciers. D.The Danger Glaciers are facing.

    Ultrasound（超声）is used widely in medical imaging, but in recent years scientists have started developing it for another use: stimulating nerves to treat disease. In two new studies in mice, researchers focused the sound waves on nerves in the spleen（脾）that communicate with the immune system, reducing symptoms. If the approach proves safe and effective in people, it could serve as a treatment for diseases such as arthritis（关节炎）.

In one study, led by scientists at the Feistein Institute and GE Research, mice receiving a few minutes of ultrasound treatment to the spleen nerve had a diminished symptoms to an injected（注射）poison. In another study, researchers at the University of Minnesota and their colleagues reduces symptoms of arthritis in mice by stimulating their spleen nerves for 20 minutes every day for a week. “Zeroing in on the spleen may provide a more precise approach than focusing on the vagus nerve（交感神经）, which connects with the immune system via a second nerve that stimulates the spleen.” says Hubert Lin, lead author of the latter study. “When we’re targeting the spleen we have less of an effect all over the body.”

“Little is known about how repeated ultrasound affects the spleen or whether it has other harmful effects,” says neuroscientist Denise Bellinger of Loma Linda University, who was not involved in either study. An ongoing clinical trial aims to assess the treatment’s safety in humans with arthritis. A bigger unknown is how ultrasound activates in general. Scientists are now exploring the use of ultrasound on other parts of the nervous system, including the brain. “We know how to control nerves with electricity, and we’ve been doing it for more than 100 years,” neuroscientist Kevin Tracey says, “But the idea of controlling nerve signals with ultrasound is a brand-new field.”

1.What do scientists expect of the new application of ultrasound?

A.It'll be applied in medical imaging

B.It'll be used to activate nerves to treat disease.

C.It’ll be applied in spleen transplantation.

D.It'll be employed to rebuild immune system.

2.What does the underlined word “diminished" in paragraph 2 mean?

A.Complicated. B.Worsened.

C.Decreased. D.Associated.

3.What is the concern of Denise Bellinger?

A.Side effect. B.Time length.

C.The procedure. D.The cost.

4.What is most likely the next step of the study?

A.Assessing the treatment' s safety on humans.

B.Activating nerves in general with ultrasound.

C.Exploring the use of ultrasound on the brain.

D.Controlling nerve signals with ultrasound.

    DNA analysis has revealed family relationships between more than 10 generations of Stone Age people at megalithic (巨石的) tombs in Ireland and Sweden.

The evidence suggests that megaliths, prehistoric large stone structures, sometimes acted as graves for family groups in northwestern Europe thousands of years ago. The latest findings throw new light on the origins and social structure of the groups that built megaliths in this region—a history that has long been hidden in mystery.

For their study, the international team of researchers analyzed the genomes—the complete set of genetic material in a cell—of 24 Stone Age individuals from five megalithic burial sites in Ireland, Scotland and Gotland, a large Swedish island in the Baltic Sea.

This analysis showed that many of the individuals buried at each megalith, who all lived between  3,800 B.C. and 2,600 B.C.,  according  to  radiocarbon-dating  of  their  remains,  were closely related via family ties.

The results also showed that the individuals buried at the megaliths were related to Neolithic farmers in northern and western Europe but genetically distinct from other hunter-gatherers. This was particularly noticeable at the Ansarve site on the island of Gotland.

“The people buried in the Ansarve tomb are remarkably different on a genetic level compared to the individuals dug out from hunter-gather contexts, showing that the burial tradition in this megalithic tomb, which lasted for over 700 years, was performed by distinct groups with roots in the European Neolithic expansion,” Magdalena Fraser, co-first author from Uppsala University, said in the statement.

1.What’s the significance of the new findings?

A.It reveals the family ties between people in Ireland and Sweden.

B.It implies that many people buried in the tombs were closely related.

C.It indicates the long-hidden mystery concerning DNA analysis.

D.It suggests that the megaliths became tombs thousands of years ago.

2.How did the researchers reach their findings?

A.By interviewing individuals. B.By travelling to different regions.

C.By analyzing genes. D.By studying the burial sites.

3.Which is true according to the latest findings?

A.Some people buried in the tombs were related to farmers.

B.Few people buried in the tombs were genetically different.

C.All the people buried at megaliths had family relationships.

D.People buried in the Ansarve tomb were dug out 700 years later.

4.What’s the main idea of this passage?

A.Megaliths served as tombs thousands of years ago.

B.People buried at the megaliths were recently analyzed.

C.Latest findings shed light on a mystery about burials.

D.Stone-Age people in Ireland and Sweden had close ties.

Summer Boarding Courses

Summer Boarding Courses(SBC)is an award-winning UK summer school provider for international students aged 11-17. Please join the students from over 100 countries.

SBC Canford Summer School(Ages 11-15)is located at Canford School,Tatler School  Awards Public School of the Year 2019. It is within easy reach of the coastal town of Bournemouth and is one of the most popular UK destinations for English language learning outside of London.

Dates:Monday 6 July-Monday 10 August 2020 nam stt

Teaching Hours:15 Hours Per Week

Courses:General English,English Literature,Introduction to Business

Headington Oxford Summer School(Ages 13-16)is located in the beautiful city of Oxford, just a 30-minute walk from the city centre.It provides students with a wonderful setting in which to study and meet other students from around the world.

Dates:Saturday 4th July-Saturday 18th July 2020

Teaching Hours:20 Hours Per Week

Courses:General English,Summer Study,Global Young Leaders

SBC at Eton College(Ages 11-16),only 34 kilometers from London,provides students with the opportunity to study at one of the world’s most famous schools.Founded in 1440 by King Henry VI,Eton College has educated 20 British Prime Ministers as well as many authors,scientists,actors and explorers.

Dates:Monday 13 July-Monday 24 August 2020

Teaching Hours:15 Hours Per Week

Courses:General English,Mathematics,STEM(Science,Technology,Engineering,Maths)

Oxford College Summer School(Ages 15-17)gives students the chance to experience the very best of what Oxford has to offer.Students live and study in the famous university city of Oxford.For over 800 years it has been home to the leading academic minds in scientific and  cultural studies.

Dates:Monday 6 July-Monday 17 August 2020./

Teaching Hours:15 Hours Per Week

Courses:Business&Leadership,Engineering,Medicine

1.Which school doesn’t provide General English?

A.SBC Canford Summer School.

B.Headington Oxford Summer School.

C.SBC at Eton College.

D.Oxford College Summer School.

2.What makes SBC at Eton College different from the others?

A.It has produced many heads of government.

B.It has educated some leading academic minds.

C.It has invited authors and scientists as educators.

D.It has become a winner of Tatler School Awards.

3.Which age range is Headington Oxford Summer School for?

A.Ages 11-15.

B.Ages 13-16.

C.Ages 11-16.

D.Ages 15-17.