Have you seen a yellow-and-black salamander (火蜥蜴)? How about a scarlet frog? Sci
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Have you seen a yellow-and-black salamander (火蜥蜴)? How about a scarlet frog? Scientists haven’t spotted either species in more than 20 years. What happened to them? Are the creatures still out there, or are they extinct?
Those are questions that scientists hope to answer. They recently set out around the world in search of those and other long-missing amphibians. An amphibian is an animal that spends part of its life in water and part on land. Frog, toads(蟾蜍), and salamanders are amphibians.
The experts are looking for about 100 species. They are searching at least 14 countries on five continents. They will look for the salamander in North America. They hope to find the scarlet frog in South America. They’re also looking for species in Africa, Asia and Australia.
Scientists are hopeful that they’ll find the amphibians—and soon! If the creatures are out there, they may need help. Many amphibians are endangered. The animals face many dangers including pollution and diseases. People cut down the forests where they live.
“If researchers can find the missing creatures, they might be able to figure out how to save them,” explains expert Robin Moore. He began searching for the amphibians earlier this month.
“This search will tell us a lot about how amphibians are doing,” Moore told WR News. “I don’t know what we will find, but that makes the search even more exciting.”
Lost in the Wild
Scientists’ hunt for missing amphibians is under way. Read about some of the species they hope to find.
Turkestanian salamander
This salamander is a mystery to scientists. Experts found a few of them more than 100 years ago, but none have been seen ever since.
Gastric brooding frog
Experts first discovered this frog in 1914 in eastern Australia. It may be extinct because of disease and habitat loss.
Rio Pescado stubfoot toad
Last sighting: 1995, in South America
Scientists hope to find this spotted toad in rivers and rainforests in Ecuador. The animal faces threats including pollution and disease.
小题1: Which of the following animals hasn’t been seen for over a century?| A．Rio Pescado stubfoot toad. | | B．Gastric brooding frog. | | C．Turkestanian salamander. | | D．Scarlet frog. |
小题2:It can be learned from the passage that _____.| A．the scarlet frog used to live in Africa | | B．researchers have no way to save amphibians | | C．the scientists will search 14 countries at most | | D．Robin Moore has begun his search for amphibians |
小题3: Why do the scientists want to find the missing amphibians?| A．Because they want to rescue the missing amphibians. | | B．Because they want to set up a scientific program. | | C．Because they want to do a scientific research on the missing amphibians. | | D．Because they want to publish a report about the missing amphibians on WR News. |
小题4: What does Moore think of the search for endangered amphibians?| A．It’s hopeful. | B．It’s interesting. | | C．It’s tiring. | D．It’s dangerous. |
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答案
小题1:C
小题2:D
小题3:A
小题4:B |
解析
小题1:C 细节理解题。由文中的Turkestanian salamander Last sighting: 1909, in Asia可知答案。
小题2: D 细节理解题。由第五段中的He began searching for the amphibians earlier this month.可知，Robin Moore已经开始寻找濒危两栖动物了。
小题3:A 细节理解题。由第五段第一句话可知，科学家们发起这项寻找濒临灭绝的两栖动物的活动的目的是拯救它们。故答案为A。
小题4: B 推理判断题。由第六段“This search will tell us a lot about how amphibians are doing,” Moore told WR News. “I don’t know what we will find, but that makes the search even more exciting.”可知，Moore认为这个寻找过程会很有趣。 |
举一反三
One of India’s top engineering schools has restricted Internet access in its boarding houses, saying addiction to surfing, gaming and blogging was affecting students" performance, making them lonely and even suicidal.
Authorities at the best Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Mumbai said students had stopped socializing and many were late for morning classes or slept through them. “Now, a student doesn’t even know who lives two doors away from him because he is so busy on the Internet,” said Prakash Gopalan, dean of student affairs. “The old dormitory culture of companionship and socializing among students is gone. This is not healthy in our opinion.”
IIT-Mumbai, with about 5,000 students, is one of seven IITs across India which are considered to be among the finest engineering schools in the world. They are also a talent pool for global technology giants. But their hard courses, tough competition and lonely campus lifestyle have taken an effect on students. Depressive and dysfunctional(不正常的) lifestyles are known to be common among IIT students, and at least nine have committed suicide in the past five years. Students have unlimited free Internet access in their boarding houses to help them in their studies, but many also use it to surf, chat, download movies and music, blog and for gaming.
Starting Monday, Internet access will be banned between 11 p.m. and 12.30 p.m. at IIT-Mumbai’s 13 boarding buildings to encourage students to sleep early and to try and force them out of their “shells”, Gopalan said. But the move has not gone down well with students who say they hate their lives being regulated. “Now they will say we need to listen to a lullaby(摇篮曲) to go to sleep,” said Rajiv, an electronics student.
小题1: What measure has been taken in IIT- Mumbai?| A．Students have unlimited free Internet access in their dormitories. | | B．Students are forbidden to surf the Internet. | | C．Internet access is unavailable in deep night. | | D．Students must go to bed before 11 p.m. |
小题2: In the passage the students are told to _____. | A．sleep through their lessons | | B．break away from the Internet | | C．go to sleep along with music | | D．stop surfing, make friends |
小题3: We may infer from the last paragraph that _____. | A．the banning order causes some complaints among the students | | B．all electronics students hate the banning order | | C．more students prefer listening to music to surf- ing the Internet | | D．there is no Internet access on the IIT campus even |
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New findings from Queen’s University biologists show that in the plant world, bigger isn’t necessarily better.
“Until now most of the thinking has suggested that to be a good competitor in the forest, you have to be a big plant,” says Queen’s Biology professor Lonnie Aarssen. “But our research shows it’s virtually the other way around.”
Previous studies showed that larger plant species monopolize(垄断) sunlight, water and other resources, limiting the number of smaller plant species that can exist around them. But the research has proved that this is not generally the case in natural vegetation.
In the Queen’s project, PhD student Laura Keating targeted the largest “host plants” of 16 woody plant species growing in the Okanogan Valley, British Columbia. The research team calculated the number and variety of plants that neighbored each large host plant. They then randomly selected plots without host plants and calculated the plant species there as well. The research showed that the massive trees have no effect on the number of species with which they coexist.
Smaller plants have many advantages over their overbearing neighbors, Professor Aarssen notes. Larger species generate physical space niches under their shelters where smaller species grow well. Smaller plants are much more effective than large trees at using available resources. They also produce seeds at a much younger age and higher rate than their bigger counterparts, and settle down much more quickly—thuscompeting with the newly-born plants of larger species.
小题1: What’s the main idea of the text? | A．Smaller plants may have many advantages over their neighbors. | | B．In the plant world, the bigger is better than the smaller one. | | C．To be a good competitor in the forest, you have to be a small plant. | | D．Queen’s University’s students made a new research. |
小题2: The underlined word “this” in Para. 3 refers to the view that _____. | A．large and small plants can grow together in harmony | | B．larger plant species limit their smaller neighbors’ growth | | C．small plant species have their own advantages | | D．large and small plant species can never coexist |
小题3:What can we learn according to the text? | A．Larger plant species limit the number of smaller ones around them. | | B．Smaller plants can limit the number of plant species around them. | | C．Smaller plants produce seeds at a higher rate than their bigger counterparts. | | D．Larger trees are more effective than small plants at using available resources. |
小题4:Which is the CORRECT order in the Queen’s project?
a. Randomly selected plots without host plants and-calculated the plant species.
b. Calculated the number and variety of plants that neighbored each large host plant.
c. Selected the largest individuals or "host plants" of 16 woody plant species. | A．a, b, c | B．c, b, a | | C．b, c, a | D．a, c, b |
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As we enjoy the summer ocean waves along the beaches, we may think nervously about Steven Spielberg"s Jaws and the great fear that sharks inspire in us. Yet we are happy to see global efforts to protect the declining number of sharks. The world has realized that we need the species, like sharks, to keep a balanced ecosystem.
Sharks, in particular, are “in” these days. Thanks to good public policy and famous stars such as Jackie Chan and Ang Lee, killing sharks for fin soup is no longer cool.
The demand for shark fins has been rising for decades, threatening sharks with extinction(灭绝)—up to 100 million sharks are killed each year just for their fins. But we have started to reverse the trend, particularly in many areas of the United States and overseas where restaurants once proudly provided delicious shark fins on the menu.
In California, a ban on the sale and possession of shark fin soup has gone into effect this year through the efforts of Wild Aid and other organizations.
Overseas marketing and public efforts featuring posters on public transportation systems and TV ads have been underway for the past few years. These efforts all show signs of success, on both the supply side and the demand side of trade in shark fins.
Actually, stopping the killing of sharks is part of a broader movement to stop the killing of wild animals and the buying and selling of wildlife products. These products come from hunting elephants, tigers and rhinos, besides killing marine life.
Whether it is shark fin soup or ivory piano keys, killing animals is big business. The hunting of elephants in search of ivory tusks for luxury(奢侈的)goods has become a fullscale war. The decrease of African elephant populations is alarming. Together with international partners, the United States is leading the worldwide effort to reduce demand for highend products that rely on killing animals.
小题1:The underlined word “reverse” in Paragraph 3 probably means ________.| A．show | B．keep | | C．follow | D．change |
小题2:From the passage, we know ________.| A．Jackie Chan and Ang Lee make fin soup popular | | B．a lot of wild animals have been killed for products | | C．Steven Spielberg"s Jaws inspires us to protect sharks | | D．the number of African elephants has been increased |
小题3:．What can we infer from the passage?| A．More animals for highend products will be saved. | | B．People have kicked the habit of having shark fin soup. | | C．Shark fins will not be available any more in restaurants. | | D．Global efforts have succeeded in stopping killing wild animals. |
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(London)If it really is what"s on the inside that counts, then a lot of thin people might be in trouble.
Some doctors now think that the internal fat surrounding important organs like the heart or liver could be as dangerous as the external fat which can be noticed more easily.
“Being thin doesn"t surely mean you are not fat，” said Dr Jimmy Bell at Imperial College. Since 1994, Bell and his team have scanned nearly 800 people with MRI machines to create “fat maps” showing where people store fat.
According to the result, people who keep their weight through diet rather than exercise are likely to have major deposits of internal fat, even if they are slim.
Even people with normal Body Mass Index scores can have surprising levels of fat deposits inside. Of the women, as many as 45 percent of those with normal BMI scores (20 to 25) actually had too high levels of internal fat. Among men, the percentage was nearly 60 percent.
According to Bell, people who are fat on the inside are actually on the edge of being fat. They eat too many fatty and sugary foods, but they are not eating enough to be fat. Scientists believe we naturally store fat around the belly first, but at some point, the body may start storing it elsewhere.
Doctors are unsure about the exact dangers of internal fat, but some think it has something to do with heart disease and diabetes. They want to prove that internal fat damages the body"s communication systems.
The good news is that internal fat can be easily burned off through exercise or even by improving your diet. “If you want to be healthy, there is no short cut. Exercise has to be an important part of your lifestyle，” Bell said.
小题1:What is this piece of news mainly about?| A．Thin people also have troubles. | | B．Internal fat is of no importance. | | C．Internal fat leads to many diseases. | | D．Thin people may be fat inside. |
小题2:Doctors have found ________.| A．being slim doesn"t mean you are not fat inside | | B．internal fat is the cause of heart disease and diabetes | | C．being slim is not dangerous at all | | D．the exact dangers of internal fat |
小题3:According to the passage, which of the following is WRONG?| A．People with heart disease all have internal fat. | | B．People can get rid of internal fat by improving diet. | | C．Men are more likely to have too much internal fat. | | D．Exercise can help to reduce the internal fat. |
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Pupils remember more and behave better when 3D images areused in lessons，research suggests.They are quicker to learn andabsorb new concepts，and display higher levels of concentration.
Professor Anne Bamford，of the University of the Arts，London，studied the effectiveness of 3D content in 15 schools across seven countries，including the UK.Pupils in 3D classes can remember more than those in the 2D classes after four weeks，improving test scores by an average of 1 7 percent compared with eight percent for 2D lessons.They gave more detailed answer to the tasks and were more likely to think in 3D, using hand gestures and mime(模仿动作) to answer the test questions successfully.
The teachers commented that the pupils in the 3D groups had deeper understanding，increased attention span, more motivation and higher engagement in the lessons.
Children are used to 3D with the rise of computer games that use the technology90 percent of those in the study had seen a 3D film.Schools would need 3Denabled projectors(投影仪)，laptops with good picture capabilities,3D software and glasses for children to introduce animations(动作) into classrooms.
But Danny Nicholson，an educationist，said the technology would be impractical to use inschools and could be costly.He said，“While I think the idea of 3D technology is very interesting，I worry that 3D is a bit of an expensive gimmick(小玩意儿)．There are a few cases where a true3D image might help，but most of the time，good 2D models that can be moved would be just aseffective.”
In the US，one school district in Colorado is already in the process of having 1,000 3Dprojectors fixed in classrooms.And the University of Caledonia, which carries out scientific research into the Lake Tabon Basin, has used 3D presentations with Grade Six pupils.Those who watched the 3D presentations were more engrossed and reported a general increase in their interest in science compared with students who watched the 2D version.
小题1:What is the main idea of the first three paragraphs?| A．There are slight differences between 3D and 2D images. | | B．Pupils perform better when 3D images are used in classes. | | C．Schools have difficulties in making full use of 3D technology. | | D．3D technology is always more effective than 2D technology. |
小题2:Danny Nicholson holds the view that 3D ________.| A．is of no help in classes | | B．has a bright future in classes | | C．is more practical than 2D models | | D．may not be affordable for schools |
小题3:What can we learn from the last paragraph?| A．3D technology will replace 2D models in the future. | | B．Many pupils are now more Interested In science than before. | | C．Teachers will use the 3D technology through specific training. | | D．3D will soon be put into use in one school district in Colorado. |
小题4:The underlined word “engrossed” in the last paragraph means ________.| A．absorbed | B．annoyed | | C．relaxed | D．confused |
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