Earth’s geologic ages---time periods defined by evidence in rock layers----typically last more than three million years. We’re barely 11,500 years into the current age ,the Holocene. But a new paper argues that we’ve already entered a new one—the Anthropocene, or “new man”, age.
The name isn’t brand-new. Nobel Prize winner Paul Crutzen, a co-author of the paper, coined it in 2002 to reflect the changes since the industrial revolution. The paper, however , is part of new push to formalize the Anthropocene age.
Recent human impacts have been so great that they’ll result in an obvious boundary (界限 ) in Earth’s rock layer, the author’s say. “We are so skilled at using energy and exploiting the environment that we are now a defining force in the geological process on the surface of the Earth,” said co-author Jan Zala, a geologist with the University of Leicester in the UK. Even so, it could take years or even decades for the International Union of Geological Science to formalize the new age.
If the concept of the Anthropocene age is to be formalized , scientists will first have to identify and define a boundary line ,or marker, that’s set in stone. “The key thing is thinking about how—thousands of years in the future---geologist might come back and actually recognize in the deposit in the UK.” It’s not as straightforward as you might think. The market has to be very precise, and it has to be recognized in many different parts of the world,” said Haywood, who wasn’t involved in the new study.
One candidate for the market is the distinctive radioactive signature left by atom bomb tests, which began in 1945. “The fallout (沉降 ) is basically across the world,” Haywood said. In a similar way, scientists used traces of the element iridium (铱) left by shooting star strikes to help define the boundary between the Cretaceous and Tertiary periods---the time of the great dinosaur extinctions.
The push for a formal declaration of the Anthropocene age is about more than just scientific curiosity. The move the scientists write in the last issue of the journal Environmental Science & Technology, “might be used as encouragement to slow carbon emissions and biodiversity(生物多样性)loss” or “ as evidence on protection measures” Just as Haywood said, by underlining how much we're changing the environment, the formalization would be "a very powerful statement”.
1.Which of the following is TRUE about the new paper?
A. It denies the existence of the Holocene age.
B. It documents the recent human impacts on earth.
C. It pushes for the formalization of the Anthropocene age.
D. It serves as a warning against the current mineral exploitation.
2.Haywood's words in paragraph 4 indicate that___________________.
A. the key to formalizing the new age is to find a deposit record set in stone
B. the marker has to appear in various places globally to be considered valid
C. finding a marker is a straightforward way to define the beginning of an age
D. future geologists may find it hard to recognize the markers we choose today
3.What can you infer from the passage?
A. The element iridium may work as a marker for the Anthropocene age.
B. The Nobel Prize winner Crutzen invented the name Holocene in 2002.
C. The formalization of the new age may send a message for eco-protection.
D. Human activities have resulted from the change of boundaries in rock layers.
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A. Humans Are Destroying the Earth, Geologists Warn
B. Too Early to Set Things in Stone, Authorities Say
C. More Evidence Is Needed, Universities Require
D. A New Earth Age May Begin, Scientists Argue
Bees in a colony work with each other to gather food, and they try to find the most nectar (花蜜)in the least amount of time possible. A small number of bees work as searchers, but when a good flower patch (花丛) is found, how do they tell other bees where to find it?
Bees communicate flower location using special dances inside the hive, where bees live. One bee dances while the other bees watch. The dancing bee smells like the flower patch, and also gives the watching bees a taste of the nectar she has gathered. Smell and taste helps other bees find the correct flower patch. Bees use two different kinds of dances to communicate information: the waggle (摇摆) dance and the circle dance.
Waggle dance
The waggle dance tells the watching bees two things about a flower patch's location: the distance and the direction away from the hive.
A. Distance
The dancing bee waggles back and forth as she moves forward in a straight line, then circlesaround to repeat the dance. The length of the middle line, called the waggle run, shows roughly how far it is to the flower patch.
B. Direction
Bees know which way is up and which way is down inside their hive, and they use this to show direction. How? Bees dance with the waggle run at a specific angle away from straight up. Outside the hive, bees look at the position of the sun, and fly at the same angle away from the sun.
Circle dance
The circle dance tells the watching bees only one thing about the flower patch’s location: that it is somewhere close to the hive.
In this dance, the bee walks in a circle, turns around, then walks the same circle in the opposite direction. Sometimes, the bee includes a little waggle as she’s turning around. The duration of this waggle is thought to indicate the quality of the flower patch.
1.Why does the searcher give the watching bees a taste of the nectar?
A. To inform them of the distance of the flower.
B. To celebrate her success of finding the nectar.
C. To motivate them to collect the nectar.
D. To ensure the bees find the right patch.
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE about the dances?
A. The searcher’s waggle means little during the circle dance.
B. The waggle dance indicates the direction of the flower patch.
C. The waggle dance shows precisely how far the flower patch is.
D. The quality of the flower patch is not shown in the circle dance.
3.If the searcher dances inside the hive in this way(see the right picture), which of the following is the WRONG flying direction for the other bees?
A. 
B. 
C. 
D. 
One day a little boy, annoyed by his father's decision for him to become a grocer, decides that he will never grow up. Grocery is a dull job and staying a child is his protest against it. This strange little boy-man, never separated from a tin drum he is always banging, is our hero of the table. It covers three crucial decades of 20th century history. Little Oscar Matzerath will experience love, war and imprisonment in a story that paints an unforgettable picture of Central Europe between 1923 and 1954.
This is an overview of the story of The Tin Drum, the most famous work by the German Nobel-winning author Günter Grass, who passed away on April 13 at the age of 87. The Tin Drum also established Grass as one of the leading authors of Germany. It also set a high bar of comparison for all of his following works. Just as his best-known fiction is both the story of an individual and of an age, so it is that Grass' life cannot be understood without referring to the history of Germany. He was called "Germany's conscience", because he reminded Germans of a past during the Second World War (1933-1945) that many would have rather forgotten.
This sometimes made him unpopular. Many Germans did not agree in 1989 when he said that East Germany and West Germany should remain separate, as a united country would be too strong and threaten the world's peace. And Grass was called a hypocrite when he revealed in his memoir
Peeling the Onion (2006) that he had been a teenage member of the Waffen-SS, the Nazi (纳粹) Party's fighting force. The man who had blamed the actions of others had a less-than-perfect record himself.
Grass was a man of the pen and the page and also a man with a gift for speaking to the public.
His writing was noisy and annoying, but one had to listen to it, a little like the sound of the drum banged by his most famous literary creation.
1.In The Tin Drum, the hero ________.
A. decides he will never grow up to escape from the war
B. doesn't want to become a grocer as his father expects
C. refuses to be separated from the tin drum he is playing
D. has an unforgettable experience involving love and hatred
2.What does the underlined word "hypocrite" mean?
A. Someone who has justice on his side and pursues perfection.
B. Someone who enjoys blaming others for their own mistakes.
C. Someone who is unwilling to believe there is good in people.
D. Someone who pretends to be more virtuous than one really is.
3.It can be inferred from the article that ________.
A. Oscar Matzerath's stories were modeled on Grass's own childhood life
B. critics applauded Grass's argument for continued separation of Germany
C. Grass's life and works can be best understood from a historical perspective
D. no other writer in Germany could be Grass's equal in perfect personal record
4.What is the author's purpose in writing the article?
A. To analyze what has made The Tin Drum so popular in Germany.
B. To introduce the readers to Günter Grass and his most famous work.
C. To present the history of Germany through the pen and page of Grass.
D. To give some background information about Grass's early life as a writer.
Marmoset monkeys exist on a branch of the evolutionary tree that is distinct from the one that led to mans. But they constantly astonish researchers with ________ behavior that seems pretty highly evolved. Their social organization and ________ practices could have been the model for the phrase “It takes a village.” A dominant male and female breed, and their babies are carefully looked after by extended family members who then aren't free to breed themselves.
A new study further ________ the marmoset’s reputation for admirable community values. Researchers report that these caregivers share their food more generously with little ones ________ than when they’re surrounded by the watchful eyes of other community members. In complex societies where individuals band together for ______ protection, researchers have come up with a few widely accepted explanations for selfless behavior. But specific acts, like sharing a delicious cricket(蟋蟀) with a begging baby marmoset, seem to need more ______ explanation
One possibility is that an individual practices ______ as a means of enhancing his status among peers. By ______ that he is so well gifted with material goods that he can give some away, this do-gooder enhances his power within the group. That, in turn, may ______ prospective mates. The other explanation for charitable behavior ______ that kindnesses extended to others are simply the fees of group membership, which offers some future promise of a chance to mate. Failure to share would result in exclusion from the group and a loss of ______ partners. Scientists call this the “pay to stay” model. Importantly, for both of these models to work, acts of kindness must have a(n) ______. That suggests you would see more sharing in group settings; away from judging eyes, a caregiver might be more likely to keep food for himself or herself. And yet, in 2,581 tests conducted with 31 adult and 14 baby marmosets, the ______ appeared to be true
Anthropologists (人类学家) from the University of Zurich carefully documented how often, in groups and in conditions that found caregiver and baby separated from the crowd, an adult would share his or her cricket. When alone with a baby begging for a taste, adult marmosets shared their cricket 85% of the time. When in a group, caregivers offered up their cricket 67% of the time.” Our results show that helping in common marmosets is not driven by reputation management or ______ avoidance, “ the study authors reported Rather, it is driven by a deep-down motivation to help that is more ______ expressed when individuals are alone with young.”
1.A. animal B. careful C. social D. individual
2.A. evolving B. communicating C. organizing D. parenting
3.A. shines B. damages C. affects D. protests
4.A. at play B. in private C. on schedule D. by accident
5.A. adequate B. effective C. continual D. mutual
6.A. creative B. complex C. specific D. official
7.A. generosity B. wisdom C. independence D. governance
8.A. promising B. demonstrating C. pretending D. explaining
9.A. count on B. go after C. appeal to D. benefit from
10.A. assumes B. confirms C. enhances D. concludes
11.A. regular B. dominant C. potential D. previous
12.A. atmosphere B. audience C. feedback D. judge
13.A. statistics B. expectation C. argument D. opposite
14.A. responsibility B. punishment C. arrangement D. difficulty
15.A. strongly B. causally C. delicately D. fearlessly
People are being lured(引诱) onto Facebook with the promise of a fun, free service, 1. realizing that they're paying for it by giving up plenty of personal information. Facebook then attempts to make money by selling their data to advertisers that want to send2. (target) messages.
Most Facebook users don’t realize this is happening. Even if they know what the company is up to, they still have no idea 3. they’re paying for Facebook, because people don’t really know what their personal details are worth.
The biggest problem, however, is that the company keeps changing the rules. Early on, you could keep everything private. That was the great thing about Facebook -- you could create your own little private network. Last year, the company changed its privacy rules 4. many things -- your city, your photo, your friends’ names -- were set, by default(默认), to be shared with everyone on the Internet.
According to Facebook’s vice president Elliot Schrage, the company is simply making changes to improve its service, and if people don’t share information, they have a “5. (satisfying) experience.”
Some critics think this is more about Facebook looking to make more money. Its original business model, 6. involved selling ads and putting them at the side of the page, totally failed. Who wants to look at ads when they are connecting with their friends online?
So far the privacy issue 7. (land) Facebook in hot water in Washington. In April, Senator Charles Schumer called on Facebook to change its privacy policy. He also urged the Commission to set regulations for social-networking sites.
I suspect that whatever Facebook has done 8. (invade) our privacy is only the beginning, which is why I’m considering 9. (cancel) my account. Facebook is a handy site, but I’m upset by the idea that 10. information is in the hands of people I don’t trust. That is too high a price to pay.
随着科技的发展，手机移动支付逐渐盛行，人们对此看法不一。下面是你班班会上以“手机移动 支付”为题进行讨论的情况。请你以李明的名义写一封信给 21st Century 报的编辑，说明该情况并表 明你自己的观点。
| 理由 |
60%学生赞同 | 1. 简单易操作，不需要携带现金或银行卡； 2. 大至商场小至路边摊都能使用，快捷方便； 3. ……。 |
40%学生不赞同 | 1. 存在安全问题，如个人信息泄露，资金盗用等； 2. 导致过度消费； 3. ……。 |
个人观点 | 1. ……； 2. ……。 |
（注意事项）
1. 文章需包括所有的要点，但不要逐条翻译；
2. 词数 150 词左右， 信的开头和结尾已写好，不计入总字数；
4. 参考词汇：移动支付 mobile payment 摊贩 stallholder
（写作要求）
1. 不必写标题；
2. 作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。
Dear editor,
With the development of science and technology, mobile payment is gaining popularity in China.
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Yours
Li Ming
