Scientists have discovered that rats have adapted to modern human life, even adapting their diets to the cities they live in.
The scientists claim that it could be possible that humans and rats have had similar changes in their genetic make-up, due to modern city life. The downside of the changes in the DNA is that they could make rats susceptible to the same health problems as humans, such as pollutants and sugary foods.
The study showed that rats’ diets have also adapted to their environment. In New York, you can see them eat bagels and beer; in Paris, they like croissants and butter. They adapt in amazing ways. The scientists also analyzed the genomes (基因组)of 29 New York rats and compared them with those of nine brown rats from Heilongjiang Province, north-east China. The finding showed that dozens of rat genes had been through major DNA changes over the centuries, as the rats spread from Asia to Europe and America, and from the countryside and into cities.
The changed genes were associated with diet, behavior, and movement, which added pressures and challenges for the rat to overcome. This could reflect the fact that urban rats have to move through highly artificial environments that are very different from natural habitats. So these gene changes might have evolved to help them move more easily through underground channels and pipes.
As the rats are closely associated with city-living humans, the scientists believe that it is possible that similar changes have happened in both species.
In October 2019, scientists used rats to successfully test an enzyme(酶) that could be used to help people quit smoking. Two groups of rats were trained to self-administer nicotine, and over two weeks their nicotine intakes increased, suggesting addiction. Then, one group of rats was given the enzyme, which led to a decreased nicotine intake. The scientists say that the enzyme could be developed for human use in the future.
1.Which of the following best explains the underlined phrase “susceptible to” in paragraph 2?
A.Not likely to be cured of. B.Being disease-resistant to.
C.Very likely to be affected by. D.Being thoroughly exposed to.
2.What does the author intend to show in the third paragraph?
A.Rats in the city are particular about their food.
B.Rats in different cities have different genetic make-up.
C.Rats are distributed in every continent of the earth.
D.Rats have been adjusting themselves to the environment.
3.What is the purpose of testing an enzyme on rats?
A.To explore rats’ survival ability. B.To help people stop smoking.
C.To learn more about city rats. D.To tell apart nicotine and enzyme.
4.What is the best title of this text?
A.Rats Have Adapted to Modern Human Life
B.Rats in the City Have Varieties of Diets
C.Rats Are More Adaptable than Humans
D.Rats Have the Same Genetic Make-up to Humans
It’s a Saturday night, the kids are asleep and we have no plans. Before we fall into our routine and watch a movie, I try to talk my husband into playing a card game. Unconvinced, he continues tapping away on his phone. But just before disappearing into the social media rabbit hole, he has an idea. He looks over me and suggests, “Why don’t we try calling one of our friends?”
I look at him with raised brows, as if his suggestion is somewhat ridiculous and perhaps even socially unacceptable. You can’t just call someone out of the blue now…right? But then I realize in the not so distant past, this was the norm. My early teenage years saw me connecting with friends through a phone. We could chat for hours about the latest gossip and news, sometimes hidding under my blanket in order to avoid the chances of being caught by my parents. I could even memorize the phone numbers of loved ones then. I guess these days, they would be on my “Favorites” list in my smartphone.
Today, many of my “favorite” people are followed from a distance through social media, and even they very rarely—if ever—would get an actual call from me. The birth announcement by my oldest friend is received through scrolling the past pictures. The news of a divorce from a couple arrives after a photo of a woman led me on a search for more gossip. Bits of such information, may have been a part of my digital feed for years. The idea of actually picking up the phone to reconnect with a long-lost friend is a frightening one—even seeing the name of an old friend pop up in an incoming call can feel a little afraid.
I ask my husband, “Who would we call?” After tossing around a few names, we agree on some potential candidates—people whose lives have taken them in different directions, but with whom we still share deep friendships.
1.How does the author feel about her husband’s suggestion at first?
A.Excited. B.Motivated.
C.Nervous. D.Surprised.
2.With the phone, the author’s teenage years was_____.
A.difficult but interesting B.peaceful and meaningful
C.pleasant and unforgettable D.inconvenient but enjoyable
3.In the following days, the couple may ____.
A.share more of their private information with others
B.contact more long-lost friends through social media
C.have more personal communications with their friends
D.add more friends’ names to the contact lists in their phones
4.What’s the purpose of the passage?
A.To argue for the need of the contact of long-lost old friends.
B.To tell us about one of his unforgettable experiences.
C.To remind us to turn to phones to keep in toch with friends.
D.To persuade us to follow our friends through the social media.
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1.Which statement about Best Body Fitness is correct?
A.It provides you with a fitness assessment after training.
B.It offers you a customized training plan.
C.It allows you to work out without any fees.
D.It asks you to work out on your own.
2.What is the best part of Best Body Fitness?
A.Its price is quite good. B.Its time is enough.
C.Its classes are no-risk. D.Its trainers are experienced.
3.What type of writing does this text probably belong to?
A.News report. B.Speech.
C.Announcement. D.Advertisement.
假定你是李华，你正在某国外中学做交换生，该校校报的 “外国文化”栏目拟介绍中国传统文化，校报编辑 Peter 给你写信，咨询你的意见。请你给 Peter 写封回信，要点 如下：
1. 你认为最能代表中国文化的是什么？请说明理由；
2. 我们应该如何更好地推广中国文化？ (至少两点)
注意：1. 词数 100 左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 开头语和结尾已为你写好。
Dear Peter,
Your letter reached me yesterday. I’m so happy that the “Foreign Cultures” section in our newspaper will recommend Chinese traditional culture.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I’ll be glad if I could help you.
Best wishes.
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。错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号( )，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用(＼)划掉。
修改：在错的词下画一横线，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。
Hearing the news the 2022 Winter Olympic Game would be held in China, I felt very excited. It struck to me how I learned skating when I was a child. At 7, I began to go crazier about skating, like all my friends. At the beginning, it was extremely tough of me to keep my balance. I always fall over on the ground, as a result of which, I thought I had no talent for skating. So I gradually lost confidence and became impatient. The more impatient I was, the more terrible I did. I was about to give up but my father came to his assistance. I restored confidence and stood up again, being encouraged by him. As I practiced skating, he always created a relaxed atmosphere and put forward some specific advice. Eventually, I made it.
阅读下面短文，在空白处填入 1 个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
A new study led by researchers at the Yale School of Public Health and published in the journal Lancet Planetary Health, finds that China’s countrywide ban 1. traffic mobility from February 10 to March 14 greatly limited automobile emissions and sharply reduced the 2. (country) often severe air pollution.
The improved air quality, in turn, prevented thousands of pollution-related 3. (death), an 4. (estimate)12,125, more than lives lost from the epidemic(流行 病), the study finds.
“This is a very surprising result. The epidemic continues to be a terrible thing for China and the rest of the world, but the decrease in emissions that accompanied 5. has actually presented some positive health results,” said Kai Chen, assistant professor at the Yale School of Public Health and the study’s first author. “The question is, how can we have one without the 6. ?”
Although the findings cannot be directly applied to other countries due to different severity of and responses to COVID-19, as well as 7. (differ) air pollution levels and population characteristics, reduced air pollution levels 8. (detect) in other Asian and European countries and the U.S.9. their own lockdowns (封城), Chen said. He notes that this reduction in pollution has 10. (like) brought about similar health benefits.
