If you read the news about honeybee survival, it's all very confusing.
The Hoover Institution's Dr. Henry Miller notes “The reality is that honeybee populations are not declining. According to U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO) statistics,the world's honeybee population rose to 80 million colonies(群落) in 2011 from 50 million in1960.”Meanwhile Jennifer Sass of the Natural Resources Defense Council points out “The number of managed honeybee colonies in the U. S. has dropped from four million hives(蜂群) in 1970 to 2.5 million today.”
Surprisingly, both of these claims are correct. Miller points to the “global” commercial honeybee-hive count, which has grown considerably. Sass points to domestic colony numbers only, which have in fact declined.
Far more bees are farmed for making honey than for pollination(传粉) services. Since more honey is now made overseas than it was in the past, more hives are kept overseas, and fewer in the United States and Europe. And the global number of commercial hives and honey they produce has grown to meet the demands of an expanding world population. Such shifts offer no evidence of a honeybee hive crisis. They simply represent the market forces of supply and demand.
The FAO data also clarify that national or even regional declines in the size of the managed honeybee population cannot prove claims of a global pollinator decline or a pollination crisis. However, it emphasizes that solutions to those problems must be motivated locally, rather than globally.
Solutions will follow only if we take a non-subjective look at the issues, so we can address them appropriately rather than have a crisis mentality. As I highlight in a recent post for The Hill,a big part of the solution lies at the very local level: with the beekeepers, farmers, and communities that surround them.
1.What makes the news confusing?
A.Various species. B.Different affects.
C.Complicated statistics. D.Contradictory conclusions.
2.What contributes to the growth of commercial hives?
A.The claims of the FAO.
B.The shift of honey export.
C.The increasing demands of honey.
D.The more services of pollination.
3.What's the author's attitude to the honeybee population issue?
A.Supportive. B.Objective.
C.Confused. D.Doubtful.
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A.Honeybee Crisis Solved or Not?
B.Honeybee Population Declining or Not?
C.Honeybee Market Global or Local?
D.Honeybee Research Global or Local?
During the COVID-19 crisis, even the simple act of buying groceries has been completely transformed. For seniors this task is even more challenging. Concordia University's ACT project team has joined with community partners in the neighbourhood to fill this gap. They've rapidly created a new program-COVID-19 Grocery Response NDG.
The program uses a model that pairs volunteers with seniors, based on availability and language. Those volunteers are trained by ACT's team via video conferencing and then given a list of older adults. The volunteer calls the individuals and takes their order, working with grocer offerings of a Provigo store in the area. When the call is over, the order gets sent to Provigo, which gathers and delivers the order to the senior. It won't take the place of the work of the food bank; seniors are paying for their groceries.
There is also an important social element to the call, which doubles as a friendly check -in. The volunteer chats a bit with the senior, who may be very lonely and anxious. One volunteer says it has also been a rewarding experience and gives her the opportunity to help others while staying at home, which they are all being encouraged to do.
The program is a response to a number of factors, including the fact that many older adults are on a fixed income and may not have the internet access needed to order groceries online. It is targeting seniors who aren't able to access New Hope's usual meals on wheels service.
So far the project is a success, with a growing number of volunteers and seniors. As for what's next, Concordia is optimistic but acknowledges that the team will need to be nimble to accommodate the changing realities of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are at a critical time and we need to do everything we can, together, to help out.
1.What do the volunteers do to help the seniors?
A.Help them pay the bill. B.Send their order to the store.
C.Write a shopping list for them. D.Deliver their groceries lo the door.
2.What can we infer about the programme from paragraph 3?
A.It benefits both sides. B.It helps the store survive.
C.It goes beyond expectation. D.It encourages people to purchase online.
3.Who might be the potential client of the program?
A.Daisy aged 45 with a heavy debt. B.David who enjoys meals on wheels service.
C.Alexander aged 75 with a retirement pension. D.Elspeth who knows noting about online shopping.
4.What does the underlined word “nimble” probably mean?
A.Flexible. B.Beneficial.
C.Accessible. D.Qualified.
Teenagers may not know the name Kevin Mayer, but he's about to play an outsize role in their lives.
The longtime leader of the Walt Disney Company just became the CEO of TikTok (抖音).In doing so, Mayer will lake charge of an app whose influence over a lot of people has made it one of the most influential ，although controversial(有争议的) ,platforms of the era.
Mayer has been with Disney since the early 1990s—minus a period as the CEO of Playboy.com—and he’s helped to acquire some important brands in film industry. More recently he's become known for his key role in the launch of the ll-important Disney Plus streaming service.
Mayer was thought to be among the most obvious potential successors to outgoing CEO Bob Iger, but he was passed over for Bob Chapek，who ran Disney' theme parks unit.
Mayer's departure from Disney may not be a surprise,but his move to TikTok is unexpected. The app, owned by China-based ByteDance, is at a crucial moment in its short history—seeing enormous growth during the pandemic lockdowns but facing increasing criticism over its data-collection practices. As it rises in influence ,the company will surely face a growing drumbeat of intense media and strict monitoring.
In contrast, Disney has never been more delicate, with the coronavinus pandemic having broken nearly all of its core business units, from the close down of theme parks and movie theaters to ongoing interruptions to its production schedules. Mayer，whatever else is motivating the move, is hopping( 跳) to another position at a proper time.
1.What's the text mainly about?
A.The job-hopping of a CEO.
B.The rising influence of TikTok.
C.The decline of the Walt Disney Company .
D.The intense competition between companies.
2.What's the likely reason for Mayer's departure from Disney?
A.He had been offered a higher salary
B.He wasn't qualified for his previous job.
C.He preferred a new career concerning teenagers.
D.He failed to succeed Bob Iger as a CEO of Disney.
3.What do we know about TikTok according to the text?
A.Potential but delicate. B.Profitable but immoral.
C.Popular but controversial. D.Professional but addictive.
4.What is the purpose of the text?
A.To advertise for Disney. B.To report of news.
C.To recommend a new app. D.To compare two companies.
Crazy at home? Travel restrictions limit your wanderlust? For now，from the safely of your couch ,you can still explore the world with these travel-inspiring films.
The Beach
Maya Bay ,Thailand
If there was ever a movie that tells about the search to find your own private paradise ,this is it. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, The Beach follows backpackers' search for a hidden mysterious utopia in Thailand. Ironically ，Maya Bay has become so overrun with tourists since the movie was filmed that it was forced to close until 2021 due to environmental concerns.
Tracks
The Outback，Australia
Based on the true story of one woman's nearly 2 ,000-mile walk alone across the Western Australian desert with just her dog and camels，the film spotlights the vast Outback. You'll get lost in the wild beauty of the country as glimpses of these wonders such as Uluru Peak fill the screen.
Lost in Translation
Tokyo ,Japan
This classic won Sofia Coppola the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and numerous fans for its quiet brilliance describing the loneliness of travel. Suffering from jet lag and culture shock ,two drifting foreigners- Bob Murray and Scarlett Johansson bond over drinks at the Park Hyatt in the fascinating up-all-nigh world of Tokyo.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Nuuk,Greenland
Ben Stiller directs and stars in this film adaption of a short story about an unlucky dreamer who leads a sedentary( 久坐不动的) life working for Life magazine. That is,until he goes on a wild adventure tracking down a film negative for the last issue. From jumping out of a helicopter in Greenland to spotting rare snow leopards in the Himalayas ，Mitty reminds us about the rewards of stepping out of our comfort zone.
1.Which film is from a true story?
A.The Beach. B.Tracks.
C.Lost in Translation. D.The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
2.What appeals to the audience most in Lost in Translation?
A.Its famous director.
B.The natural beauty of Tokyo.
C.Its presentation of loneliness.
D.The friendship of two foreigners.
3.In which section of a magazine may this text appear?
A.Science B.Entertainment C.Fashion D.Sports
假定你是李华，你的留学生朋友Sandy得知你市将举办中国年画（Chinese New Year paintings）展，发邮件向你询问相关情况。请你回复邮件，内容包括：
1. 简述年画的寓意（喜庆、祈福、迎新等）；
2. 告知展览的相关情况（时间、地点和目的）；
3. 提出一起参观年画展。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 开头和结尾已为你写好，不计入总词数。
Dear Sandy,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
假定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、刪除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（˄），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：在错的词下划一橫线，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。
As a student, my main target is to study well and then make progress step in step. As we know, all works and no play makes Jack a dull boy. When holiday comes, it is time for me play and I’m usually very happy. Therefore, playing all the time makes me feel empty because I have done nothing at all. I want to do nothing meaningful to enrich my life, so a target is needing for me. I usually set a small goal for myself, for example, read a book. Every time when I finish my target, I felt so satisfied. The really meaningful life is to do some usefully things.
