We have spent thousands of years fighting for our survival. Yet now we have ____ that our planet is under threat. It’s time we woke up to the problems and started repairing the ____.
One of the major problems is the destruction of the rainforests in South America. They are ____ to half the world’s species and to millions of people. Moreover, the rainforests ____ the air by taking in carbon dioxide and giving out oxygen. The trees are being ____ for paper or to make room for cattle farms. So birds and animals ____ their homes and die. This destruction is also bringing about ____ in the climate, air pollution and flooding. If we ____ to burn and cut down the rainforests as we are doing now, the earth will ____ be the same.
Another big ____ is water pollution. Factories are ____ our rivers and lakes with dangerous chemicals. Tons and tons of waste are poured into our seas. ____, sea life is in danger.
___ pollution is another important issue. The cars and factories in and around our cities are giving off ____ gases. In the past few years, more and more people than ever before have breathing problems. If we don’t do something now, our cities will become ____ to live in.
___, it is not too late to solve these problems. We have the time, the money and even the technology to prepare the way for a better, cleaner and ____ future. We can plant trees and create parks for the species in danger. We can put pressure on those in power to ____. Together we can ____ our planet. All we need to do is open our eyes and act ____.
1.A.discovered B.guessed C.predicted D.forgotten
2.A.bridge B.image C.damage D.relationship
3.A.secret B.home C.hope D.belief
4.A.need B.heat C.clean D.produce
5.A.burned B.looked after C.planted D.cut down
6.A.find B.visit C.lose D.leave
7.A.changes B.recoveries C.differences D.improvements
8.A.fail B.start C.stop D.continue
9.A.still B.never C.always D.almost
10.A.choice B.problem C.goal D.view
11.A.sharing B.providing C.polluting D.connecting
12.A.For example B.As usual C.On the whole D.As a result
13.A.Air B.Noise C.Light D.Soil
14.A.pleasant B.unknown C.useless D.harmful
15.A.impossible B.illegal C.crowded D.healthy
16.A.Surprisingly B.Fortunately C.Interestingly D.Strangely
17.A.bigger B.safer C.longer D.simpler
18.A.take care B.take turns C.take risks D.take action
19.A.feed B.observe C.save D.destroy
20.A.immediately B.patiently C.politely D.slowly
Nowadays, more and more parents are using a new technology-home security systems, to keep an eye on their “home-alone” children. In the early days of home security, the systems were basically designed just to keep the bad guys out. 1. But be sure, when no adult is present, he or she knows how to do so safely.
Every child should memorize his or her own full name and address, and home, work and cellphone numbers of each parent. 2. If your child is too young to memorize the information, he or she may be too young to be home alone—for any time.
3. If a door or window is slightly open, the child has any reason to suspect someone has been in the house that shouldn’t be, have him or her call you, then wait at the nearby home of a neighbour who’s agreed to act as a safe house.
4. Besides, set a rule that he or she must never play outside the house when no one else is at home.
Be sure your child knows how to disarm (解除) and arm your home security system. Program your control panel (控制板) to give you a message when your child enters or leaves the house, and arms or disarms the system. 5.
If you want to learn more about home security systems that can help parents protect their “home-alone” children, you can visit www.ProtectAmerica.com.
A. Also keep this information posted next to the phone at home.
B. Teach your child to observe things when returning to the house.
C. At present, the systems are only intended for home-alone children.
D. Warn your home-alone child never to answer the doorbell or telephone.
E. You and your child should work together to use the home security systems.
F. Now, many parents are also using them to make their home-alone children safe.
G. If your child forgets to rearm the system, you can call him or her with a personal reminder.
A new study shows students who write notes by hand during lectures perform better on exams than those who use laptops.
Students are increasingly using laptops for notetaking because of speed and legibility (清晰度). But the research has found laptop users are less able to remember and apply the concepts they have been taught.
Researchers performed experiments that aimed to find out whether using a laptop increased the tendency to make notes “mindlessly” by taking down word for word what the professors said.
In the first experiment students were given either a laptop or pen and paper. They listened to the same lectures and were told to use their usual notetaking skills. Thirty minutes after the talk, they were examined on their ability to remember facts and on how well they understood concepts.
The researchers found that laptop users took twice as many notes as those who wrote by hand. However, the typists performed worse at remembering and applying the concepts. Both groups scored similarly when it came to memorizing facts.
The researchers’ report said “While more notes are beneficial, if the notes are taken mindlessly, as is more likely the case on a laptop, the benefit disappears.”
In another experiment aimed at testing long term memory, students took notes as before but were tested a week after the lecture. This time the students who wrote notes by hand performed significantly better on the exam.
These two experiments suggest that handwritten notes are not only better for immediate learning and understanding but that they also lead to superior revision in the future.
1.More and more students favour laptops for notetaking because they can ________.
A.understand lectures better B.digest concepts better
C.get higher scores D.write more notes
2.While taking notes, laptop users tend to be ________.
A.skillful B.mindless C.thoughtful D.tireless
3.The author of the passage aims to ________.
A.stress the benefit of taking notes by hand B.examine the importance of long term memory
C.explain the process of taking notes D.encourage the use of laptops
4.The passage is likely to appear in ________.
A.a newspaper advertisement B.a computer textbook
C.a science magazine D.a finance report
The endangered pandas in Qinling Mountains might face a new threat: the loss of their food—bamboo, which makes up 99% of their meals.
Adult pandas spend most part of the day eating bamboo and have to take in at least 40 pounds a day to stay healthy. However, a new study published in Nature and Climate Change warned that they may soon find their food gone because most of the bamboo in Qinling Mountains might disappear by the end of the century as a result of rising temperature worldwide.
A team made up of researchers from Michigan State University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences has studied the effects of climate change on the bamboo in Qinling Mountains. They have found that bamboo is very sensitive to climate changes. “80% to 100% of the bamboo would be gone if the average temperature increases 3.5 degrees worldwide by the end of the century.” said Liu Jianguo, one of the report’s authors. He added, “This is how much the temperature would rise by 2100 even if all countries will keep their promises in the Paris Agreement. But you know what is happening around the world.”
In recent years, China has been trying its best to protect the endangered pandas by setting up more and bigger natural reserves.
“But it is far from being enough and the endangered pandas need cooperation from the rest of the world, because their future is not just in the hands of the Chinese,” said Shirley Martin from World Wildlife Fund but not a member of the team.
The Qinling Mountains, in the southwest of China, are home to about 260 pandas. That is about 13% of the Chinas wild panda population. In addition, about 375 are living in research centers and zoos in China.
1.Which can be the best title for the text?
A.Necessity to Change Pandas’ Food B.A New Threat Faced by the Pandas
C.The Disappearance of Bamboo D.Efforts Made to Save Pandas
2.What can we learn from the first paragraph?
A.Pandas have already eaten 99% of the bamboo in Qinling Mountains.
B.Pandas in Qinling Mountains are just threatened by the loss of food.
C.Lots of the bamboo in Qinling Mountains will possibly disappear.
D.Qinling Mountains cannot provide enough bamboo for the pandas.
3.What does Liu Jianguo mean?
A.Bamboo is sensitive to the changes of temperature.
B.China needs more help from World wildlife Fund.
C.China is making great efforts to protect the pandas.
D.It is difficult to control the temperature rise within 3.5 degrees.
4.How many wild pandas are there in China?
A.About 2,000. B.About 635. C.About 260. D.About 2,635.
A dog spent the last four years of his life waiting at a crossroad in the Thai city of Khon Kaen as if waiting for someone. At first people thought the dog had been abandoned, but then realized that he looked healthy, so people asked around about him. It turned out that the dog had indeed been spending most of his time around that crossroad, but a woman had been coming round regularly to bring him food and water.
One day, while photographing the dog everyone called Leo, a reporter met the woman who had been taking care of him. She had come to drop off some food. After learning the story about the dog and the woman, the reporter decided to share the story on social media. The post soon went viral and the photos of Leo got shared hundreds of times. And the photos reached the eyes of Leo’s old owner.
Nang Noi Sittisarn, a 64-year-old woman from Thailand’s Roi Et Province, almost had a heart attack when her daughter showed her a photo of the beloved dog named BonBon she had lost during a car trip. When she learned that he had been waiting for her in the same spot for the last four years, her heart melted (融化).
Auntie Noi told her daughter to drive her to where the dog was waiting. When she got there and called his name. BonBon, the poor dog started wiggling (扭动) his tail and came to her, but when she tried to take him home with her, he was unwilling to follow. She didn’t want to force the dog to come with her so she agreed to leave him with his new master. However, she and her daughter will come to visit him regularly.
1.Why did the dog look healthy after separation from his former owner?
A.He walked around the crossroad constantly.
B.He was kept at a woman’s home all the time.
C.A local reporter brought him food and water.
D.A woman looked after him on a regular basis.
2.What does the underlined phrase “went viral” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A.Changed surprisingly. B.Spread quickly.
C.Appeared gradually. D.Fell directly.
3.How did Nang Noi Sittisam feel about the dog’s waiting for her?
A.Shocked. B.Regretful. C.Touched. D.Proud.
4.What can we mainly learn from the story about the dog?
A.We need to learn to be faithful and thankful.
B.Unbelievable success is worth waiting for.
C.We should appreciate everyone we meet.
D.No one knows the result until the last minute.
The Galápagos: Evolution in Action
11 days, 10 nights, 14 travelers
Departs March 14, May 23 and November 21, 2020
Charles Darwin called the Galápagos Islands “a little world within itself”. This journey lets you explore the world’s most fascinating wildlife destination while traveling in comfort. Experience evolution in progress and learn more about these historic islands. Visit islands with wildlife species (物种) that exist nowhere else in the world. See giant tortoises and seabirds, and swim with sea lions.
Winter in Yellowstone
7 days, 6 nights, 25 travelers
Departs January 10 and 24, 2020
Yellowstone National Park is magical, where visitors are few and wildlife viewing is wonderful. In the freezing air, see mud pots and pouring springs strangely covered in steam. The journey puts one of our greatest ecosystems on full display. View wildlife in their habitat as few see them.
Flying in Zero Gravity
7 days, 6 nights, 25 travelers
Departs March 12, 2020
The fantasy of floating through the air, weightless, is one that has been realized by only a few. Now, you can experience it for yourself. Join one of the famous ZERO-G Experience flights for a true weightless experience. You’ll also learn about the frontiers in the universe scientists are seeking to control.
A Family Hunt for Dinosaurs
6 days, 5 nights, 25 travelers
Departs June 25, 2020
Join this adventure to western Colorado’s red rock country, for children 8 and older and their families. Go behind the scenes at a university laboratory for a special hands-on experience to learn how fossils (化石) are cleaned, identified and preserved. Dig on your own for 250-million-year-old fossils, which you can bring home.
1.What did Charles Darwin say about the Galápagos Islands?
A.It had a small population. B.It was actually a small island.
C.It had unique wildlife species. D.It was a rarely visited island.
2.Which activity is suitable for space explorers?
A.Winter in Yellowstone. B.Flying in Zero Gravity.
C.A Family Hunt for Dinosaurs. D.The Galápagos: Evolution in Action.
3.What can tourists do on A Family Hunt for Dinosaurs?
A.Attend a lecture about fossils. B.Learn to identify the red rocks.
C.Spend a week in the lab. D.Discover ancient fossils.
