The team of researchers from the University of Lincoln, UK, is designing and building an app to help farmers in hot climates identify and record the spread of locusts(蝗虫) on their land.
By recognizing locusts through the smartphone’s camera, the app will be able to identify the stage of the insect's growth and record its location. This information can then be utilized so that the farmers can use pesticides(杀虫剂) more accurately in the early stages of their life time, greatly reducing the amount of crop damage.
This approach could also reduce remaining pesticide levels, leading to increased food safety while maintaining food security and protecting nearby water systems.
“Each year, approximately 18 million hectares of land are damaged by locusts, influencing hugely farmers and their productivity, explains Dr. Bashir Al-Diri from the School of Computer Science at the University of Lincoln.” Their monitoring techniques currently rely on field surveys by people through digging insect eggs, but this information only helps farmers to make mid and long-term forecasting decisions and can delay effective management measures. By digitally recording the exact number, age and location of locusts, we hope this new app will put more knowledge and more power into the hands of the farmers.
Dr. Al-Diri and his team of computer scientists work with the Lincoln Institute for Agri-food Technology at the University of Lincoln, aiming to support and improve productivity, efficiency and farming through research, education and new technology.
With advanced technology, the developers hope that the app will also be used for a wide range in the future to capture and document information about the natural world. For example, it could easily be adapted to help individuals identify plant diseases or to digitally capture the number and type of birds and wildlife in specific locations as part of national and international surveys.
1.What do we know about the app mentioned in the passage?
A.It has helped farmers record the spread of locusts.
B.It will be of great use for farmers in hot climates.
C.It may cost the farmers more than they expect.
D.It will remind farmers of what the locusts look like.
2.Which can replace the underlined word "utilized” in the passage?
A.Accessed. B.Controlled.
C.Arranged. D.Progressed.
3.What can we know according to Dr. Bashir Al-Diri?
A.Farmers don't know how to deal with locusts.
B.Their techniques can be used to dig insect eggs.
C.Farmers suffer greatly because of locusts.
D.Some steps must be taken before using the app.
4.What is the purpose of Al-Diri and his team?
A.To check if the app is useful in killing locusts.
B.To educate farmers on how to protect themselves.
C.To assist in raising agricultural production level.
D.To direct farmers to change their farming methods.
Older adults with a better sense of smell may live longer than those who have a poor sense of smell, a new study suggests. The study was a project of researchers in the United States that was ongoing for over 13 years. They asked nearly 2,300 men and women to identify 12 common smells. All the subjects were from 71 to 82 years of age. The researchers gave the adults scores, from 0 to as high as 12, based on how many smells they identified correctly.
During the years of follow-up investigation, over 1,200 of the subjects died. When the study was launched, none of the adults were weak. They could walk a little under half a kilometer, climb 10 steps and independently complete daily activities. In the latest findings, the researchers noted that those with a weak nose were 30 percent more likely to die than people with a good sense of smell. The findings were reported last month in the scientific publication Annals of Internal Medicine.
Honglei Chen, a doctor with Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, was the lead writer of a report on the study. He said the connection between a poor sense of smell and an increased risk of dying was limited to adults who first reported good-to-excellent health. This suggests that a poor sense of smell is an early and sensitive sign for worsening health before it is recognizable in medical tests. With a poor sense of smell, people are more likely to die of brain and heart diseases, but not of cancer or breathing disorders.
The results also suggest that a poor sense of smell may be an early warning for poor health in older age that goes beyond dementia or other neurodegenerative(神经变性的) diseases. These often signal the beginning of a weakening of the mind or body.
1.What do you know about the study mentioned?
A.The study involved researchers from the world.
B.All the participants were of different ages.
C.The study began to be performed about 13 years ago.
D.2 ,300 men and women were young and healthy.
2.What was the situation like at the beginning of the study?
A.More than 1,200 of the participants passed away.
B.Many of the subjects were found with health problems.
C.All the subjects were independent of others when walking.
D.One third of the participants had a poor smell sense.
3.What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs?
A.People with a poor sense of smell have heart disease.
B.You should be careful with your health if you smell poorly.
C.People with a poor sense of smell won't suffer from cancer.
D.Most of the elder people may have the dementia disease.
4.Which is the best title for the passage?
A.Strong Sense of Smell May Be Linked to Longer Life
B.Old People Tend to Have a Poor Sense of Smell
C.A Number of Factors Result in Longer Life
D.Being Ill Means Losing the Sense of Smell
I took a motor rickshaw to the train station in the city of Belapur. The driver didn't speak much English, but understood, "Belapur Railway Station. ” I had my tabla, a traditional drum from India, my suitcase with my clothes and other essentials. The feeling of flying by cars in this little machine is : as if you are inside a box with tiny wheels, dashing through disorderly traffic.
I arrived at the station safely, and took a heavy breath as I unloaded my baggage before the ticket office. It was the first time that I had taken a local train to Tilak Nagar, where I was going to learn traditional vocal music. Standing in line, I counted at least 20 people staring at me. I bought my ticket, which was only 55 cents for a 20-minute train ride. The prices still blow me away.
When the train came after 15 minutes or so, I got on with all speed, as the train only stops for a few seconds. The locals again stared at me. This was a train especially for local transport. After a while, a young man asked me if he could talk to me. He wanted to know if I was in a band. I stated no, but I love to play tabla. Through the conversation I knew he was a student of engineering with his exams being tomorrow, I wished him good luck for the exams sincerely, as I knew what it means to Indian students to get good marks on their exams. If students do not get good enough scores, job opportunities will be few in a highly-competitive environment.
The student I met helped me unload my luggage as the train reached Tilak Nagar Station. He shook my hand strongly and looked into my eyes with marks of genuine care and friendship, despite us meeting for only 20 minutes.
1.How did the author feel about the ride by a motor rickshaw?
A.Worthless. B.Courageous.
C.Common. D.Expensive.
2.What does the underlined part mean in the passage?
A.The train ticket cost him too much. B.It was quite cheap to take the train.
C.The train was so convenient for him. D.It was unusual to take a train here.
3.What do we know about the young man mentioned in the passage?
A.He wanted to learn to play tabla from the author.
B.He was a student on the way to a university.
C.He took his examinations seriously.
D.He wished to find a job in Tilak Nagar.
4.What is the author's purpose of writing the passage?
A.To tell readers he got to know an Indian young man.
B.To imply it was unsafe to travel alone in India.
C.To complain the messy and dirty Indian train.
D.To share his first time on a train in India.
Day 1 Arrival/Harbin
Places to visit: Central Street, Zhaolin Park Ice Lantern Art Fair
Upon arriving in the ice city Harbin in the early afternoon, you will be met by local English-speaking guide at Harbin airport or railway station and then start your trip from the Central Street.
The Central Street was originally built in 1898 when there were abundant of Russian businessmen in Harbin. It's a good place to see architectural styles and taste different cuisine.
In the evening, you will visit the Ice Lantern Fair in Zhaolin Park. You can see pretty ice sculptures when the ice sculptures are lit, which looks like a magical world.
Day 2 Harbin
Places to visit: Siberian Tiger Park, Ice and Snow World
In the daytime you will make an adventure in the Siberian Tiger Park, the largest natural park for wild Siberian tigers of China, even in the world. There are over 500 Siberian tigers in this park. Here you can see wild tigers closely and take some fantastic photos.
In the evening you will go to visit the Ice and Snow World. It is full of awesome ice and snow sculptures created by artists from all around the world.
Day 3 Harbin/Departure
Places to visit: Winter Swimming Performance, Ice Activities
As the Ice City, Harbin is an ideal place to have winter swimming activities. The average temperature here is - 18 °C in winter and many local people had got used to taking winter swimming. You can see all kinds of people males, females, from youth to 70 years old men swim through the frozen surface of the Songhua River. Also there is Winter Swimming Competition held in Harbin every year.
In the afternoon you will take your own arranged train or flight back home.
1.Who is the passage intended for?
A.People in the local areas.
B.Visitors from abroad.
C.Artists interested in ice.
D.Children fond of magic.
2.What can you see on the second day in Harbin?
A.Wild Siberian tigers of China.
B.Special architectural styles.
C.The swimming competition.
D.Different delicious dishes.
3.What can we know about Harbin in winter according to the text?
A.The temperature there is about -18 °C on average in winter.
B.People living there get accustomed to swimming.
C.The Songhua River is the only frozen river there.
D.Winter Swimming Competition is held every month.
假设你是李华，你于 2 月 25 日在购书网站 www.lovereading.com 上购买了 The Call of the Wild一书。收到后发现一些问题，请就此事给 lovereading.com 写一封信投诉，要点如下：
1.写信目的； 2.存在问题； 3.要求建议。
注意:1. 词数 100 左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Sir/Madam,
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
假如英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10 处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏词符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下面划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1，每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改 10 处，多者（从第 11 处起）不计分。
My uncle set up a small business in our city four years ago. He is known as using iron from old cars to make beautifully art pieces. Last summer vacation, I visit him and he showed to me many of his works. Some are larger pieces looked like animals and humans, and others are smaller pieces you can put at home. He often encourages me to be creative like himself. The art tells people the important of environmental protection. What’s more, it shows that even irons can be brought back to life with little creativity.
