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Cane toads, also known as bufo toads, are yet another invasive (入侵) species that has found a hospitable home in warm southern Florida. Deliberately introduced from South and Central America in the 1930s, they were supposed to control beetles damaging the sugarcane crop— that’s how they got the name “cane toads.”
Cane toads can pose a particular danger because the adult ones shoot toxin ( 毒 素 ) from their back when attacked. The tiny toads don’t carry enough toxin to be deadly yet, but big adult ones can easily send a dog into a seizure ( 疾病发作) or even kill it. The toxin is “very viscous and would stick inside the dog’s mouth,” says Steve Johnson, a wildlife ecologist at the University of Florida. Owners should try to wipe out an affected dog’s mouth and immediately take it to the vet.
Tilford started Toad Busters in 2017. The woman who lived there had nine cats, which she fed by dumping almost a bag of cat food every night. Cane toads normally eat bugs, but they are happy to eat pet food, too.
Cane toads have adapted beautifully to the Florida suburbs, so a lot of Tilford’s work also involves getting people to rethink their suburban backyard. No more cat food, for example. Pet poop (粪便) can also attract insects, which can in turn attract toads. As do lights. And toads love to breed (繁殖) in attractive pools of water, such as the lake in the affected Palm Beach Garden neighborhood. For “these larger communities that want to build these beautiful ponds and want to have houses on ponds,” Tilford said, “this is almost a pest-control service.” The cane toads aren’t going away, but they can be managed like mosquitoes or rats.
Dealing with toads amounts to an annoying thing in Florida, but they can also create more dramatic problems. In Australia—where they were also deliberately introduced in the 1930s to protect sugarcane—they are a genuine scourge (灾祸).
The issue is that Australia has no native toad species, so none of the predators (食肉动物) knew how to avoid the toxic toads. As the cane toads advanced east to west across the continent, “they left a wake of dead animals in their paths,” says Sean Doody, an ecologist at the University of South Florida at St. Petersburg who has studied cane toads in Australia. Turtles, lizards, and crocodiles just started dying out, which was good news for their prey (受害者). “If you were a small species that was previously being eaten, suddenly you’re on a honeymoon,” says Rick Shine, a biologist at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, who has also studied the impact of cane toads on Australian wildlife.
1.What can cane toads be described as?
A. Invasive species introduced to South America.
B. Natural enemies of beetles damaging sugarcane.
C. Dangerous species making active attacks on dogs.
D. A great threat presented to some wildlife ecologists.
2.Which might be the proper way of avoiding cane toads according to Tilford?
A. Abandon the suburban backyard.
B. Light up the backyard at night.
C. Control the number of large houses.
D. Keep pet food away from backyard.
3.What happened in Australia after cane toads being introduced?
A. Cane toads destroyed some food chains.
B. Most of the predators died of toad toxin.
C. Cane toads bred at a much slower pace.
D. Big species learned to avoid cane toads.
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Cane toads, also known as bufo toads, are yet another invasive (入侵) species that has found a hospitable home in warm southern Florida. Deliberately introduced from South and Central America in the 1930s, they were supposed to control beetles damaging the sugarcane crop— that’s how they got the name “cane toads.”
Cane toads can pose a particular danger because the adult ones shoot toxin ( 毒 素 ) from their back when attacked. The tiny toads don’t carry enough toxin to be deadly yet, but big adult ones can easily send a dog into a seizure ( 疾病发作) or even kill it. The toxin is “very viscous and would stick inside the dog’s mouth,” says Steve Johnson, a wildlife ecologist at the University of Florida. Owners should try to wipe out an affected dog’s mouth and immediately take it to the vet.
Tilford started Toad Busters in 2017. The woman who lived there had nine cats, which she fed by dumping almost a bag of cat food every night. Cane toads normally eat bugs, but they are happy to eat pet food, too.
Cane toads have adapted beautifully to the Florida suburbs, so a lot of Tilford’s work also involves getting people to rethink their suburban backyard. No more cat food, for example. Pet poop (粪便) can also attract insects, which can in turn attract toads. As do lights. And toads love to breed (繁殖) in attractive pools of water, such as the lake in the affected Palm Beach Garden neighborhood. For “these larger communities that want to build these beautiful ponds and want to have houses on ponds,” Tilford said, “this is almost a pest-control service.” The cane toads aren’t going away, but they can be managed like mosquitoes or rats.
Dealing with toads amounts to an annoying thing in Florida, but they can also create more dramatic problems. In Australia—where they were also deliberately introduced in the 1930s to protect sugarcane—they are a genuine scourge (灾祸).
The issue is that Australia has no native toad species, so none of the predators (食肉动物) knew how to avoid the toxic toads. As the cane toads advanced east to west across the continent, “they left a wake of dead animals in their paths,” says Sean Doody, an ecologist at the University of South Florida at St. Petersburg who has studied cane toads in Australia. Turtles, lizards, and crocodiles just started dying out, which was good news for their prey (受害者). “If you were a small species that was previously being eaten, suddenly you’re on a honeymoon,” says Rick Shine, a biologist at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, who has also studied the impact of cane toads on Australian wildlife.
1.What can cane toads be described as?
A. Invasive species introduced to South America.
B. Natural enemies of beetles damaging sugarcane.
C. Dangerous species making active attacks on dogs.
D. A great threat presented to some wildlife ecologists.
2.Which might be the proper way of avoiding cane toads according to Tilford?
A. Abandon the suburban backyard.
B. Light up the backyard at night.
C. Control the number of large houses.
D. Keep pet food away from backyard.
3.What happened in Australia after cane toads being introduced?
A. Cane toads destroyed some food chains.
B. Most of the predators died of toad toxin.
C. Cane toads bred at a much slower pace.
D. Big species learned to avoid cane toads.
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Chinese kung fu, also known as wushu or Chinese martial arts, is one of the most well-known examples of traditional Chinese culture. It is 1.(probable) one of the earliest and longest 2.(last)sports which uses both muscles and brain.
The theory of kung fu is based 3.classical Chinese philosophy(哲学). Over its long history it 4.(develop) as a unique combination of exercise, practical self-defense, self-discipline, and art.
It is estimated that Chinese kung fu dates back to primitive society. At that time people used sticks 5.(fight) against wild beasts. Gradually they6.(accumulate) experience in self-defense.
Chinese kung fu is a large system of theory and practice. It combines 7.(technique) of self-defense and health-keeping.
In Chinese kung fu, however, a 8.(different) is made between “external(外家的) and “internal” kung fu. 9.is said that “In external kung fu, you exercise your tendons, bones, and skin; in internal kung fu, you train your spirit, your qi, and your mind.” And so internal kung fu can continue later in life, 10.the external body weakens.
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In ancient China the kite was known as “Zhiyuan“. 1. (original) regarded as a technology, it also featured in many art collections, and was considered to have unique artistic value. It first 2. (appear) in the ware of the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC—476BC). According to historical records. Mo Zi spent three years 3. (construct) a wooden kite which failed after one day’s flight. One book noted that the master carpenter Lu Ban also made some which 4. (use) to spy on the situation of the enemy.
Now the basic procedure of making kites remains the same, but 5. (style) of kite-making vary in different regions. These in the “World Kite Capital” of Weifang in Shandong Province are well known for 6. (they) craftsmanship, materials, painting, sculpture and flexible flying movement. One of these kites, 7. was over 300 meters long, won first place in the International Kite Festival 8. (hold) in Italy. It is now housed in the Weifang Kite Museum. Even year, the festival is held there and is expected to draw many fans with a passion for flying kites.
9. you are interested in flying a kite, you should choose a sunny and windy day so you can enjoy the open air, and take care to avoid electric wires and cars. You could lake more than one with you and fly them according to the change of wind. And of course, a pair of sunglasses may prove useful in protecting your eyes 10. bright sunshine.
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D
Have you ever known a married couple that just didn’t seem as though they should fit together—yet they are both happy in the marriage, and you can’t figure out why?
I know of one couple: the husband is a burly(魁梧的)ex-athlete who, in addition to being a successful salesman, coaches Little League, is active in his Rotary Club and plays golf every Saturday with friends. Meanwhile, his wife is petite, quiet and a complete homebody. She doesn’t even like to go out to dinner.
What mysterious force drives us into the arms of one person, while pushing us away from another who might appear equally desirable to any unbiased(没有偏见的) observer?
Of the many factors influencing our idea of the perfect mate, one of the most telling, according to John Money, professor emeritus(荣誉退休的) of medical psychology and pediatrics(儿科学) at Johns Hopkins University, is what he calls our “love map”—a group of messages encoded in our brains that describes our likes and dislikes. It shows our preferences in hair and eye color, in voice, smell, body build. It also records the kind of personality that appeals to us, whether it’s the warm and friendly type or the strong, silent type.
In short, we fall for and pursue those people who most clearly fit our love map. And this love map is largely determined in childhood. By age eight, the pattern for our ideal mate has already begun to float around in our brains.
When I lecture, I often ask couples in the audience what drew them to their dates or mates. Answers range from “She’s strong and independent” and “I go for redheads” to “I love his sense of humor” and “That crooked smile, that’s what did it.”
I believe what they say. But I also know that if I were to ask those same men and women to describe their mothers, there would be many similarities between their ideal mates and their moms. Yes, our mothers—the first real love of our lives—write a significant portion of our love map.
51. What does the underlined word “petite” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A. Clever. B. Little. C. Energetic. D. Lovely.
52. What is “love map” according to John Money?
A. One of the many factors influencing our idea of the perfect mate.
B. Our preferences in hair and eye color, in voice, smell, body build.
C. A group of messages encodes in our brains that describes our likes and dislikes.
D. Something that appeals to us, whether it’s the warm and friendly type.
53. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. By age eight, the pattern for our ideal mate has already begun to float around in our brains.
B. We fall for and pursue those people who most clearly fit our love map.
C. Love map is largely determined in childhood.
D. “She’d strong and independent” is the most important reason that drew the couple together.
54. What’s the main idea of the last paragraph?
A. The author believes what the questioned couple said.
B. Our mothers play a very important role in the forming of our “love map”.
C. Our mothers are the first real love in our lives.
D. There would be many similarities between ideal mates and moms.
55. What would be the best title of this passage?
A. The “love map” in our mind.
B. What mysterious force drives us into the arms of one person?
C. The real reason why we choose that special someone.
D. Our mothers write a significant portion of our love map.
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Terraforming (Earth-forming) other planets, also known as planetary engineering (行星工程), seems like a task still centuries away for mankind to accomplish. However, it is a vigorous topic that attracts both popular and scientific interest. Why should the possibility of terraforming other planets be studied when it may be centuries before we know enough to even decide if it’s a good idea?
Mankind is getting more and more hard facts about other planets. The atmosphere of Venus has been explored; robots have surveyed the surface of Mars; Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn have been studied by spacecraft. Speculations have been answered; new questions have been raised, and enough hard data is right now becoming available to allow us to make the first attempt of planetary engineering.
In the past, people with excellent ideas about terraforming have kept them to themselves, or buried them in a desk drawer because they did not realize that anyone else was interested. But now, a wide circle of people has begun to do this kind of work. For instance, NASA funded a project on transforming Mars.
There are several strong reasons which demand that the possibilities of terraforming be studied carefully. First, it’s an exciting idea of a possible future for human beings. Such thinking has a valuable role in providing options for our future directions. Secondly, the techniques of terraforming will also help contemporary technologies in weather and climate control. Thirdly, such study may assist us in detecting any possible existence of extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI, The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, 地外文明搜索) and alien (异己的) civilizations on other planets.
Though the mission is far beyond our reach at the moment, we should at least keep our options open. Through debate and study on this subject, the possibility of rebuilding other planets to make them suitable homes for people may come true some day in the future.
1..
. According to the context, what’s the meaning of the word “speculation” in paragraph 2?
A. The act of discussing something with a group of people.
B. The act of studying and researching.
C. The act of guessing without knowing all the facts about something.
D. The acting of writing letters to a certain organization.
2..
Why did people keep the idea of terraforming to themselves in the past?
A. They thought no one else would show interest in the idea.
B. They gradually came to find the idea crazy.
C. They thought the idea would never come true.
D. They had few resources for further study on this topic.
3..
. Which is NOT the reason to support the study of terraforming?
A. Even if we don’t succeed in terraforming, such study may help us to better understand technologies such as climate and weather control.
B. Such study may explore a new direction of development for human beings.
C. Such study may enable us to find the lives on other planets.
D. As the resources on Earth are being drained, it’s very urgent to study how to migrate (迁移) to other planets。
4..
What’s the main idea of the article?
A. It’s highly possible that terraforming other planets will come true so we should increase investing in this program.
B. Even if the idea of terraforming other planets may take centuries to realize, we have many reasons to support such studies.
C. Terraforming other planets is the best option for human being’s future.
D. More and more people are taking planetary engineering as their occupation.
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Sixteen brave runners recently gathered in the Russian village of Oymyakon, also known as the world’s pole of cold, to compete in the coldest official race in history.
Oymyakon is the coldest permanently inhabited place on Earth, with temperatures constantly dropping to under -50 degrees Celsius in winter time. This place is so cold that a person’s unprotected face can suffer frostbite(冻伤) in a matter of second. Oymyakon can barely be called livable, let alone suitable for a marathon, and yet at the beginning of this year, 16 runners gathered here to take part in a series of extreme races.
On January 5, the brave runners — aged 21 to 71 and very well-trained — competed in bone-chilling marathons for 5, 10, 20, 30 and 42 kilometers across the frozen taiga(泰加森林) of central Yakutia. At the start of the run, the air temperature was an almost unbearable -52 degrees Celsius, and by the time the first and only runner reached the 39km mark, it had increased to -48 degrees Celsius.
“We could see entire amazement in the eyes of tourists who traveled here from Australia, Taiwan, Japan and India to watch the world’s coldest race,” runner Sargylana Neustroyeva told The Siberian Times. “This was our first try at organizing the extremely cold marathon. Next year we are definitely doing another race, and all athletes from around the world are welcome!”
“We wanted to make running in -450C and colder more popular, and to show that athletes can adapt to extremely low temperatures” champion runner Yegor Abramov added.
The world’s coldest race was organized by Alexander Krylov, head of Turuu Tour agency. He plans to do it again next year, hopefully with more brave runners able to endure the extreme winter temperatures of Oymyakon.
1.What can we learn about Oymyakon?
A.It’s a Russian village with people living there normally.
B.It’s a Russian village often for runners to try cold marathon.
C.There are no plants growing around the village.
D.Many tourists from around the world come here to spend winter.
2.Why did the sixteen runners hold the coldest race?
A.To make a new record for the running races.
B.To challenge their body limit in the cold climate.
C.To make running in low temperature popular.
D.To help promote the tourism in Oymyakon.
3.What would be the best title for the passage?
A.The World Pole of Cold B.Sixteen Brave Runners
C.An Icy Journey D.The World’s Coldest Race
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When and why he came here ________ yet.
| A．is not known | B．are not known | C．has not known | D．have not bee |
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Every year from March to October, Christian Moullec, also known as “Birdman,” takes to the skies aboard his adapted light aircraft. However, the 58-year-old Frenchman’s daily 30-minute flight is not just to enjoy the impressive views, but to guide flocks (鸟群) of lesser white-fronted geese (小白额雁) through safe migration paths which the birds can teach future generations.
His deed began in 1995 when he noticed their declining population in the wilds of Lapland, Sweden. To prevent their numbers from dropping further, Moullec tried to get the threatened species to follow him along migration routes that would protect them from bird hunters.
However, getting grown geese to follow his lead proved challenging. As young geese imitate and follow whomever they view as their parent, Moullec decided to raise the geese from birth.
To help raise funds and awareness of his job to protect not just the geese but birds worldwide, Moullec often allows paying tourists to join him on the 30-minute-long flights aboard his aircraft. In addition to the trained birds flying alongside them, visitors, who come from as far as a 15-hour plane flight away, are treated to a variety of crane and geese species as well as breathtaking views of castles and cities.
He often brings his camera along for the flights, capturing photos not just for their beauty, but for what they describe. Moullec believes the use of agricultural chemicals has done harm to wild European birds, with more than a third disappearing in the last 30 years. “It's a disaster,” he said. “My beautiful images with flying birds should be used to tell this story. ”
1.Why does “Birdman” always fly to the sky on his aircraft?
A.To observe geese along their migration routes.
B.To follow geese through safe migration paths.
C.To take visitors to operate his adapted aircraft.
D.To guide geese fly safely during the migration.
2.What do we know about “Birdman”？
A.He is a nature lover. B.He is a bird watcher.
C.He is a volunteer pilot. D.He is a bird hunter.
3.What does Moullec often take photos in his flights for?
A.Recording the use of agricultural chemicals.
B.Showing serious damage caused by chemicals.
C.Describing his experiences with flying birds.
D.Capturing the beautiful views of birds and cities.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.Birdman Guides Flocks to Learn to Fly.
B.Birdman Finds Birds Disappearing.
C.Birdman Helps Flocks Safely Migrate.
D.Birdman Protects Birds From Hunters.
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Every year from March to October, Christian Moullec, also known as “Birdman,” takes to the skies aboard his adapted light aircraft. However, the 58-year-old Frenchman’s daily 30-minute flight is not just to enjoy the impressive views, but to guide flocks (鸟群) of lesser white-fronted geese (小白额雁) through safe migration paths which the birds can teach future generations.
His deed began in 1995 when he noticed their declining population in the wilds of Lapland, Sweden. To prevent their numbers from dropping further, Moullec tried to get the threatened species to follow him along migration routes that would protect them from bird hunters.
However, getting grown geese to follow his lead proved challenging. As young geese imitate and follow whomever they view as their parent, Moullec decided to raise the geese from birth.
To help raise funds and awareness of his job to protect not just the geese but birds worldwide, Moullec often allows paying tourists to join him on the 30-minute-long flights aboard his aircraft. In addition to the trained birds flying alongside them, visitors, who come from as far as a 15-hour plane flight away, are treated to a variety of crane and geese species as well as breathtaking views of castles and cities.
He often brings his camera along for the flights, capturing photos not just for their beauty, but for what they describe. Moullec believes the use of agricultural chemicals has done harm to wild European birds, with more than a third disappearing in the last 30 years. “It, s a disaster,” he said. “My beautiful images with flying birds should be used to tell this story. ”
1.Why does “Birdman” always fly to the sky on his aircraft?
A. To observe geese along their migration routes.
B. To follow geese through safe migration paths.
C. To take visitors to operate his adapted aircraft.
D. To guide geese fly safely during the migration.
2.What do we know about “Birdman”？
A. He is a nature lover. B. He is a bird watcher.
C. He is a volunteer pilot. D. He is a bird hunter.
3.What does Moullec often take photos in his flights for?
A. Recording the use of agricultural chemicals.
B. Showing serious damage caused by chemicals.
C. Describing his experiences with flying birds.
D. Capturing the beautiful views of birds and cities.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Birdman Guides Flocks to Learn to Fly.
B. Birdman Finds Birds Disappearing.
C. Birdman Helps Flocks Safely Migrate.
D. Birdman Protects Birds From Hunters.