There are now six fires burning at emergency levels in Australia.1.The smoke is so intense and so thick it can be seen from space. 2,000 homes have been destroyed. Six million hectares of land charred, leading to death of the nation’s wildlife.
2.They are lightning strikes, winds and people who set fire deliberately. But one of the biggest reasons they’ve become so extreme, is the same reason as East Africa’s flood. Bushfires in Australia are a natural part of the country’s ecosystem.3.Even New South Wales, with the largest population, is used to breaking out. In 1974, fires burned 3.5 million hectares, and in 2003, another 2 million hectares were lost to fire. But the fires that started in 2019 are even worse:4.9 million hectares in New South Wales have burned already—and it’s only going to grow.
4.For starters, as the world is getting warmer from climate change, so is Australia. 2019 was its hottest year on record, with parts of the country reaching 45 degrees Celsius in December. 2019 was also its driest—the places here in gray have seen historic droughts.5.Throughout the year, other large-scale climate drivers affect Australia’s weather, and its likeliness to burn. One of the most influential is the Indian Ocean Dipole(偶极子), or the IOD. The IOD is a big temperature gradient that affects the surface water in the Indian Ocean, from the edge of Africa to the edge of Australia.
A.This is just heartbreaking.
B.So why is this fire season so awful?
C.Their “fire season” varies across regions.
D.The fire season is awful because of the unknown reason.
E.The ecosystem of the country needs to be improved.
F.These record-breaking bushfires in Australia have been started by the following.
G.Together, that provides the perfect conditions for bushfires to start and spread quickly.
As for child vaccinations, parents usually get paperwork lost, or forget whether their child is up to date. Now a group of MIT researchers has developed a new way to address this problem: inserting the record directly into the skin. Along with the vaccine, a child would be injected with a bit of dye that is invisible to the naked eye but easily seen with an app that shines special light onto the skin. The dye would be expected to last up to five years.
The system would provide quick and easy access to vaccination history, and add little to the cost or risk of the procedure. “In developing countries where medical records may not be as complete or as accessible, there can be value in having medical information directly associated with a person,” says Ana Jaklenec, lead author of the study.
Delivering the dye required the researchers to find something that was safe and would last long enough to be useful. “That’s really the biggest challenge we overcame in the project,” says Jaklenec, adding that the team tested a number of dyes hut could not find any that lasted when exposed to sunlight. The team ended up using a technology called quantum dots, which were originally developed to label cells during research. The dye has been shown to be safe in humans.
“When people were still getting vaccinated against smallpox, they got a visible scar on their arm that made it easy to identify who had been vaccinated and who had not. But obviously, we didn't want to give people a scar.” Jaklenec says, noting that her team was looking for something that couldn’t be seen. The researchers also wanted to avoid technologies that would raise even more privacy concerns, such as databases with names and identifiable data.
The researchers hope to add more detailed information to the dots, such as the date of vaccination. Along with them, the team eventually wants to inject sensors that could also potentially be used to track aspects of health such as insulin levels in diabetics.
1.What can we learn from the first 2 paragraphs?
A.A new system has been developed to track the history of vaccination.
B.The cost of updating vaccination history is high.
C.The dye injected into children can be seen with naked eyes easily.
D.Carrying around one’s medical record is convenient.
2.What was the biggest challenge for the researchers?
A.Labeling cells. B.Delivering a number of dyes.
C.Finding the safe and long-lasting material. D.Inventing a technology called quantum clots.
3.It can be learned from the text that the researchers________________.
A.are trying to find a vaccination against diabetics.
B.have injected sensors to track aspects of health.
C.are sure to leave no scars on those who are vaccinated.
D.hope to add more detailed information to the quantum dots while maintaining privacy.
4.How does the author feel about the project?
A.Disappointed B.Enthusiastic
C.Indifferent D.Uncertain
By now it’s almost common knowledge that spending time in nature is good for you. Areas with more trees tend to be less polluted, so spending time there allows you to breathe easier. Spending time outdoors has been linked with reduced blood pressure and stress, and seems to motivate people to exercise more. So it’ll come as no surprise that there's research showing that spending time in nature is good, which has been known for thousands of years. There’s dozens of papers showing that.
University of Exeter Medical School researcher Mathew P. White said “We get this idea, patients are coming to us and they’re saying, ‘doctor, how long should I spend?’and the doctor is saying, I don’t really know.” So White and his team decided to find out by using data collected from nearly 20,000 people in England through the Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment Survey. And their answer? Two hours a week. People who spent at least that much time-either all at once or totaled over several shorter visits-were more likely to report good health and psychological well-being than those with no nature exposure. Remarkably, the researchers found that less than two hours offered no significant benefits.
So what’s so special about two hours? “ I have absolutely no idea. Really. We didn’t have an apriori（由因及果的）guess at what this would be. It emerged. And I’d be lying if I said we predicted this. I don’t know.” Even more noteworthy, the two-hour benchmark（基准）applied to men and women, to older and younger folks, to people from different ethnic backgrounds, occupational groups, socioeconomic levels and so on. Even people with long-term illnesses or disabilities benefited from time spent in nature—as long as it was at least 120 minutes per week.
While the findings are based on a tremendous number of people, nobody knows why or how nature has this benefit. “I want to be really clear about this. This is very early stages. We’re not saying everybody has to do 120. What research do we need to take this to the next step before doctors can have the true confidence to work with their patients? But it’ s certainly a starting point,” White said.
1.What is the first paragraph mainly about?
A.The benefits of spending time in nature.
B.The research of spending time in nature.
C.The characteristics of spending time in nature.
D.The common knowledge of spending time in nature.
2.What can we infer about the result of White and his team’s survey?
A.The time spent in nature should be 2 hours a week all at once.
B.2 hours a week at least in nature is beneficial to whomever you are.
C.The time spent in nature should be 2 hours a week, no more, no less.
D.2 hours a week in nature is too long for people with long-term illnesses.
3.What does White expect of the findings?
A.They will be in early stage.
B.They will be based on many people.
C.They will help all people go out in nature.
D.They will be improved and further research will be done.
4.Where is this text most likely from?
A.A diary B.A guidebook
C.A magazine D.A novel
Middle school is challenging for so many reasons — academics become more difficult, schedules fill up with activities, and, in what might be the most challenging region for kids and parents alike, friendships change. Friendships change over time, not just because our children evolve, but because the very nature of friendship evolves with them. The best parents should learn to let go so that their children can succeed in their tween friendships.
Early in childhood, our children’s friendships arise out of closeness and habit. We throw our kids into the sandbox with our friends’ kids, and this arrangement works for everyone. As kids get older, however, they begin to build emotional connections with friends based on similarity. Their shared interests, dreams, and goals begin to edge out mere convenience. When they become tweens, friendships become much more complex, and for good reason. Tweens use friendships as a way to try on an identity. They begin to build friendships based on new priorities.
All too often, the shifting sands of tween friendship result in broken hearts. Tweens feel abandoned and betrayed as friends move back and forth between comfortable old relationships and exciting new ones. As any parent knows, our own personal heartache hurts, but the secondhand heartbreak we experience through our children is much more painful, mainly because it’s out of our control. The urge to meddle, to save and heal, is powerful, and while meddling around in tween social contact may make us feel better, we must stay out of it.
Tweens move from relationship to relationship, adopting this detail of a friend’s personality,abandoning that characteristic of another, until they have collected the essential elements of their identity. Some relationships will survive this process, and some will not, but everyone is an important phase of the journey. We may not love every outfit our tweens try on, but it’s our job to be there when they emerge from the dressing room, when they do a little twirl and wait for us to tell them how grown up they have become.
1.What’s the main idea of the second paragraph?
A.Friendship become complex in every period of time.
B.Reasons for friendship building vary in different phases.
C.Tweens begin to build friendships based on the new priorities.
D.Important elements of friendship are needed in children’s life.
2.What does the underlined words in paragraph 3 mean?
A.Friendships are out of control.
B.Tweens feel abandoned and betrayed.
C.Friends move to exciting new relationships.
D.Friendships change from one to another among tweens.
3.What should parents do when tweens feel painful about their social contact?
A.They should blame them. B.They should help to bring their children under control.
C.They should be there and support them. D.They should meddle around in tween social contact.
4.Which is the best title of the passage?
A.Change of relationships among tweens B.Parenting in friendships among tweens
C.How to build friendships among tweens D.The nature of friendships among tweens
For generations, young people all over the world have taken an interest in social justice and found the courage to fight for their own rights and the rights of others. Here are four inspiring middle grade books that prove you’re never too young to stand up for what you believe in and make a difference.
This series follows 11-year-old Parvana, who lives under Taliban rule in Afghanistan. When her father is arrested and her family is left without someone who can work or even shop for food, Parvana, forbidden to earn money as a girl, disguises herself as a boy to help her family survive. The Breadwinner is an empowering tale with a sharp and brave heroine.
Stella lives in the separated south in 1932. Out, late one night, wandering around, Stella and her brother witness a Klu Klux Klan activity, starting an unwelcome chain of events in her otherwise sleepy town. With a compelling and courageous voice, Stella tells the story of how she and her community ban together against racism and injustice.
When Julian is sent to stay with his disinterested aunt and uncle for four months, he discovers that his Uncle’s corporation plans to cut down a group of redwood trees at Big Tree Grove and decides to take a stand to save the trees. Perfect for the young environmentalists in your life, Operation Redwood is an adventurous tale as Julian and his friends hatch scheme after scheme to save these giants of nature.
For more mature readers, this unforgettable autobiography tells the true story of Nujood Ali, a ten-year-old Yemeni girl married off at a young age, who decides to resist her abusive husband and get a divorce. A moving tale of tragedy, triumph, and courage, Nujood’s brave resistance has inspired generations of women and young girls.
1.What is the purpose of the four books?
A.To call for people to find the courage.
B.To show the definition of social justice.
C.To inspire young people to make a difference.
D.To prove young people can fight for the rights.
2.Who might be interested in the book Operation Redwood?
A.An adult who shows interest in human nature.
B.A college student who majors in human rights.
C.A middle school student who is interested in science.
D.A high school student who wants to protect the environment.
3.Which book is adapted from a real story?
A.I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced. B.Stella by Starlight.
C.The Breadwinner Trilogy. D.Operation Redwood.
假设你是李华，下周将是你校的英语阅读周，请写信邀请你班外教Dr． Phillips，内容包括：
1．阅读周的时间、地点；
2．阅读周设立的目的和活动安排．
3．邀请他参加．
注意：1．词数100左右．
2．可适当增加细节，使行文连贯．
3．开头结尾已写好，不计入总词数．
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