Four Citizen-science Projects
Climate change is difficult to handle. but this doesn't mean people are just sitting on the sidelines waiting for the unavoidable. Everyone can join in fighting climate change. Scistarter and Zooniverse are two websites that list citizen-science projects in which you can take part. Here are some of them:
·MeadoWatch
This project, out of the University of Washington, is looking at how climate change is affecting wildflowers on Mount Rainier. Volunteers collect data along hiking tracks about when wildflowers bud. flower, fruit and produce seeds. The project is also collecting photos of wildflowers from across Mount Rainier National Park.
·Great Backyard Bird Count
For four days every February, volunteers around the world count birds in 15 minutes. These observations can be made anywhere, including your own backyard. The counts provide scientists snapshots of data on where birds are found and how many there are. Since the count has been going on for over 20 years, researchers can now answer questions about how these patterns may be changing with time.
·Water Monitoring in Minnesota
Residents(居民)of Minnesota can sign up to be a volunteer water monitor for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Volunteers are arranged to a lake or stream. Twice a month during the summer, they take measurements of water clarity. Those data let the government see whether water clarity has been changing over time as well as assess the health of those waterways.
·Redmap
Gretta Peel is a marine(海的)ecologist in Australia at the University of Tasmania in Hobart. She studies where marine species(物种)are moving in response to climate change. She set up a program called Redmap. It asks people to report "uncommon" marine species they've seen in Australian waters. "We wanted to have an early indication of what species were moving where they live,” she explains.
1.Which project should be most appealing to people interested in wildflowers?
A.Redmap. B.Meado Watch.
C.Great Backyard Bird Count. D.Water Monitoring in Minnesota.
2.What are you required to do if you take part in Water Monitoring in Minnesota?
A.Educate local people on bird behavior.
B.Explore causes of your local climate problems.
C.Collect relevant data and even report them.
D.Protect the local water from pollution.
3.What is the similarity among the four projects?
A.They are started by famous universities.
B.They aim to raise environmental awareness.
C.They are mainly open to environmentalists
D.They focus on fighting climate change.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
As I was leaving the gym last week, I greeted a friend who was coming in. He responded without looking up from his phone. I stood there for a few awkward seconds, hoping for eye contact. He finally looked up briefly, apologetically, before returning to the screen. I walked on, feeling shaken.
It turns out I was phubbed, which is a term for snubbing(冷落)someone in favor of a phone. And research has found that phubbing does have negative (消极的)impacts on personal relationships, reducing the quality of communication and level of satisfaction.
Recently I've noticed that it's impossible to go out with friends and have their attention for the whole time, There're always phones on the table, and they're constantly being checked. When the slightest pause in conversation arises, or if someone gets up from the table briefly, people seize their phones to check in with the rest of the world to see what else is going On.
It used to be that going out together was confidence-boosting solid reassurance(安慰)that another person enjoyed your company, otherwise they wouldn't accept but not now. Now, you're constantly attracting attention，competing with a portable supercomputer. When someone is looking at their phone, you're never sure if they actually want to be with you.
The modern-day equivalent of this is scrolling(滚屏)and texting. Although I didn't realize it at the time, I was trying for connection with the friend, who was attracted by it refusing to put away his phone and made me feel awful.
I don't want to be that person. I don't want my actions to make anyone feel the way I did that day. So from now on I'm going to make a point of not letting digital distractions damage the relationships I hold so dear. It's not worth it. Nothing on that screen is ever more important than the person standing right in front of me.
1.Why does the author describe his greeting with a friend in the gym last week?
A.To introduce what phubbing is. B.To show the misuse of phones.
C.To draw the readers' attention. D.To voice his opinion about phubbing.
2.What is the third paragraph mainly about?
A.Phones are bad for communication. B.Phones are used widely in the world.
C.Phubbing is making people suffer. D.Phubbing is a common phenomenon.
3.What will happen when you're snubbing someone according to the author?
A.People will enjoy your company. B.You will lose the trust of others.
C.You will damage others' confidence. D.People will feel truly connected.
4.What does the word "it" underlined in paragraph 5 refer to?
A.Being companied. B.Scrolling and texting.
C.The table. D.The phone.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Has the volume(音量)in a restaurant ever nude you finish your meal early? If so, you're not alone. Restaurants handle diners in various ways to influence food choices and consumption, from lighting to menu to server presentation. Unfortunately for those headache-prone restaurant goers, some places also choose to turn up the tunes and the background noise.
Chef Mario Batali is often blamed for the phenomenon of ultra-loud or noisy restaurants in the 1990s, when he decided to flood the dining room with the same loud tunes he was playing in his kitchen. And other chefs followed suit. Some restaurateurs felt a "livelier" atmosphere encouraged more customers, but a side "benefit" was quicker table turnover, thus increasing the number of people who could dine in a specific evening.
A 1985 study out of Fairfield University looked at how chewing speed varied according to the type of music being played. Although the volume level was kept the same for both musical situations, it's important to note that fast-tempo(节奏)music often gives the impression of being louder than slower music.
"A significant increase in the number of bites per minute was found, and the effect was largest for fast music," the researchers wrote in the study. So, the faster, louder music gets people to down their food more quickly, relieving the table for future customers.
There're opinions about whether or not this is a sound practice. "A restaurant that places profit above dining experience often plays loud music with a fast tempo that puts diners under pressure to eat more quickly, even if that means they're less able to enjoy their meal," writes Dr. Neel Burton in Psychology Today, adding that loud, fast music reduces appetite.
What's more, some would-be repeat diners will shy away for fear of another ultra-loud meal. The non-profit group Action on Hearing Loss found in a 2016 survey of nearly 1,500 people that 91% of those who view a restaurant as too noisy would choose not to return.
1.Why did some bosses of the restaurants favour loud music?
A.It might help attract more customers.
B.It was the favorite kind of music of them.
C.It made the restaurants softer and sweeter.
D.It could increase the popularity of their restaurants
2.What plays the most important role in the effect of music on diners?
A.Its content. B.Its length.
C.Its speed. D.Its quality.
3.What is Dr. Neel Burton's attitude towards flooding restaurants with noisy music?
A.Doubtful. B.Disapproving.
C.Positive. D.Uncaring
4.What could be a suitable title for the text?
A.What People Think of Loud Restaurants
B.Are Customers Made to Eat Quickly?
C.Why Loud Restaurants Are Popular Today
D.Does Loud Music Really Benefit Restaurants?
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
This may sound like a joke about a lazy person's dream job. Earn big money by staying in bed and watching TV. But this is really happening, and it's a project of NASA and two European space agencies the Institute of Aerospace Medicine at the Cologne-based German Aerospace Center and the European Space Agency. It's called Artificial Gravity Bed Rest Study, aimed at studying how the body adapts to weightlessness in space.
Scientists are seeking 12 women to spend two full months in bed in the fall at a German lab, plus an additional month there for preparation and recovery. The first 12 test subjects, all men, already have started the study.
Participants spend two entire months in bed and remain lying down even to do everyday things like eating, drinking and exercising. They also answer nature's call and shower, but it's unclear from the NASA website how those tasks are accomplished in bed.
"Daily routine showering, getting dressed, eating, exercising takes much time when you cannot stand up to do them," says the website, adding that there is "continuous data collection", including blood pressure, heart rate, nutrient absorption and also the participants' feelings. Study subjects will spend the 60 days with their heads tilted(倾斜)down six degrees, which imitates(模仿)conditions in space.
Participants are encouraged to pass the time by watching TV, taking online courses, reading and any other activities they can perform while lying down alone in bed to relieve what could be boredom. Family and friends are allowed to visit.
The high $ 18,500 payment for two months of lazing about is probably a major motivation for people willing to go through something this extreme. However, if you're an American who really needs the money, you probably can't afford it. Candidates need to travel to Cologne four times at their own expense for the employment process between April and July. Plus, they need strong German-speaking skills. Also participants need to be nonsmokers between ages 24 and 55, in good health, with normal body weight.
1.What are participants expected to do during the study?
A.Report their feelings regularly. B.Complete their daily routines in bed.
C.Keep their bodies tilted down six degrees. D.Record their physical responses every day.
2.What data about the participants will the researchers collect?
A.The changes in their weight. B.Their behaviors to weightlessness.
C.The ways they do their daily things. D.Their physical and mental reactions
3.What will be a challenge for the participants?
A.The language skills they need. B.The difficulty meeting family.
C.The possibility that they feel dull. D.The slow discovery of their health.
4.The requirements for potential participants are .
A.challenging for Americans B.tailored to thin persons
C.easy for the youth to satisfy D.suitable for most people
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
Why Radio Stations Always Start With a "K" or "W"
It seems that whenever you switch on the radio in the morning all you hear is "Time to wake up with K98.3," or "WBLS will be right back after this commercial break".1.The majority of radio stations start with the letter "K" or "W".
All radio stations have a four-letter identification code(代码). The hosts of the show typically come up with a more catchy(易记的)station name than just the four letters, but you still hear it sprinkled in with their morning announcements and other advertisements.2.In 1912, several countries attended a conference to discuss international radiotelegraphs. One of the things that came out of that meeting was the assignment(分配)or specific letters to identify each country's radio and television signals.3.
The letters "N" and "A" were given to military stations, but "K" and "W" were assigned out for commercial use.4.And stations west of the Mississippi started with "K".
5.Sometimes they represent the networks that own the radio station for example, WABC, KCBS, and WTBS. Sometimes it's the actual station number, like in KTWO or KFOR. And other times it's an acronym(缩写)such as WTTW for "Windows to the World." But the station that takes home the prize for the best four-letter combination is a sports radio station out of St. Louis that chose the name KRAP.
A. The United States was given the letters W, K, N, and A.
B. The three letters after the "K" Or "W" can mean a few different things.
C. If you listen closely you'll notice that they all have something in common.
D. Radio stations east of the Mississippi River had to start their stations with "W".
E. The two letters you consistently hear date back to when people used to send telegrams.
F. There is some inconsistency since radio stations weren't required to change their name.
G. Try decoding these common acronyms that you probably never knew and figure out what they stand for.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Celina Raddatz quit her job at a nursing home in 2014 to take care of her mother full-time who, 83, suffers from Alzheimer's.
Raddatz,57, and one of her sisters, Rosalia Lizarraga, 61, had been_________their mother together. But as the Alzheimer's_________, the task became too stressful for Lizarraga. The full_________fell on Raddatz, who was determined to perform a promise she and her siblings(兄弟姐妹)had made to their_________as children.
"When my mother was_________, she made us promise never to put her in a nursing home." Raddatz says. "But we never thought she would get_________like this."
Raddatz was born in Mexico. Her mother, a widow(遗婉),_________tune children as a food seller after they moved to America. "My mom was a very_________woman," Raddatz says. When Raddatz was growing up, her mother quit her_________so she could stay home and keep an eye on her children. "She would take us to school and bring us home. She wouldn't let us walk__________to school."
Raddatz and her siblings first began to notice their mother__________in 2005 after she had a bad fall while__________as a housekeeper. In 2006, Raddatz's mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
"It's just__________work. I need to care for her around the clock." But anyhow, she__________her job at the nursing home and__________her mother in with her. They also share a bedroom,__________Raddatz can assist her mother when she wakes up throughout the__________.
"It's a__________responsibility because of the promise we made her when she was younger," Raddatz says. It used to__________Raddatz to see families leave their relatives with this disease in a nursing home. Now she has a personal__________for the emotional(情感上的)and physical sacrifices that caring for an elderly loved one takes.
1.A.caring for B.looking into C.arguing about D.agreeing on
2.A.existed B.returned C.disappeared D.progressed
3.A.trust B.request C.collection D.responsibility
4.A.daughter B.brother C.mother D.doctor
5.A.poor B.relaxed C.relieved D.healthy
6.A.sick B.angry C.hurt D.accustomed
7.A.served B.searched C.supported D.collected
8.A.patient B.strong C.straight D.positive
9.A.job B.study C.research D.circle
10.A.out B.back C.alone D.together
11.A.crying B.sleeping C.changing D.recovering
12.A.regarding B.working C.using D.functioning
13.A.private B.unique C.constant D.easy
14.A.did B.left C.enjoyed D.continued
15.A.moved B.called C.turned D.dropped
16.A.so B.and C.for D.but
17.A.track B.night C.orbit D.operation
18.A.personal B.national C.social D.family
19.A.warn B.pain C.comfort D.persuade
20.A.account B.purpose C.service D.appreciation
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
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。
Most of us complain(抱怨). Though we1.(tell) never to complain, it doesn't help. A thought that isn't said out is like a seed,2.. is being planted in the mud. It would eventually grow into a tree. Suppressing(压制)them, you will one day find that the thoughts once kept in3.dark will start exploding inside you.
But if you bring a seed into the light, eventually you will learn to manage the thoughts you once suppressed.
Complaints actually can help people improve. In that case, you aren't4.(real) complaining. You're giving feedback(反馈)to someone,5.(hope) they can find ways to make themselves better.
But the6.(differ) is that when we complain about something we are finding faults in it. When we are just finding faults in people and the situations we come across, we are just finding faults in7.(we). Ever heard the saying "The world is just a reflection of you"? Well, it's actually true!
So,8.(stop) this, try to consciously(有意识地)not to complain about what goes wrong. Instead, try feeling grateful9.what went right in your day.
Slowly, as you regain conscious control of your thoughts, you will find you are more likely to see the brighter side of10.(thing) whenever you want to complain.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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、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：把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，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。
To offer a chance for our students to keep in touch with society, last Saturday our class was organized some meaningful social practice activities. We were divided into second groups. One group went to the crossings near our school, intending to helping the traffic policemen. The another group went to collect rubbishes in Hongxing Park. Meanwhile, we introduced some simply ways of environmental protection and remind people not to destroy the beauty of nature. It was the memorable day because our behavior received praise the public and we benefited a lot from these activities.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
假定你是李华，你的英国朋友Mike发来邮件说他很想吃中国饺子。请你回复邮件，内容包括；
1.中国饺子非常美味;；
2.建议网上学习包饺子；
3.欢迎来中国做客。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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难度: 简单查看答案及解析