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The world's nights are getting surprisingly brighter. This is bad news for all kinds of creatures, including humans － as light pollution is becoming worse, taking away the darkness of night almost everywhere.
Satellite* observations* made by researchers show Earth's artificially-lit* outdoor area grew by 2% a year from 2012 to 2016. So did night time brightness. Light pollution was even worse than that, according to the German-led team, because satellites cannot observe some of the LED lighting, especially blue light.
"Honestly, I had hoped that with LEDs we were improving the situation, for this new lighting technology has been developed to use less energy. But it turns out quite disappointing. ", said Kyba, the lead author of the study.
"Asia, Africa and South America, for the most part, have seen an increase in artificial night lighting. The cities in developing nations are brightening quite rapidly. Other bright places include greenhouses in the Netherlands and areas of agriculture. More and more places are fixing outdoor lighting because of its low cost and the growth in communities' wealth," the scientists said.
One of the co-authors, Franz Holker of the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in Berlin, said things were already in a terrible situation.
"Many people are using light at night without really thinking about the cost," Holker said. "Not just the economic cost, but also the cost that you have to pay for environmental damage."
The effect from the increasing artificial light is obvious, according to the researchers. People's sleep can be marred, which in turn can hurt their health. The life of birds, fish, insects and bats can be harmed. Plants can have longer growing periods. And people may forget about seeing stars or the Milky Way if the light pollution continues.
Kyba and his team suggest avoiding bright lights whenever possible and using more useful ways to shine light on places such as parking lots or city streets. For example, dim, closely spaced lights can provide better visibility than bright lights that are more spread out.
1.Why is light pollution becoming worse according to the passage?
A.Because LED lighting gives off blue light.
B.Because there is increasing artificial lighting.
C.Because people can pay for the electricity bill for home.
D.Because scientists didn't suggest avoiding artificial lighting.
2.What can we learn from the passage?
A.We can use bright lights in city streets.
B.LED lighting can help reduce light pollution.
C.Maybe we can't see the stars because of light pollution.
D.The cities in developing nations don't fix outdoor lighting.
3.What does the underlined word "marred" probably mean?
A.recorded B.controlled C.improved D.influenced
4.What's the best title of the passage?
A.The Disadvantages of LEDs B.Brighter Nights Are Dangerous
C.What Causes Light Pollution D.Ways to Reduce Light Pollution
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Now more and more people in the world are getting fatter. This troubles them a lot. （1）Experts(专家) say that it has a lot to do with our eating habits.
Our eating habits are very important for good health and a strong body. Most of us like eating sweets and ice cream better than vegetables and rice. Sweets and ice cream are not bad for us if we eat them at the end of a meal. （2）If we eat them before a meal, they may take away our appetite(食欲).
It’s important for us to eat our meal in the same period each day. When we feel worried or excited, we may not want to eat. A long time ago, in England, some judges(法官) often decided whether a man was telling the truth by giving him some dry bread. If the man could not swallow(吞) the bread, it meant that he wasn’t telling the truth. Because when a man is worried about something, he will have trouble in swallowing anything dry, because he loses his appetite.
1.Are more and more people getting fatter in the world?________________________ ___
2.Do most people like eating sweets or rice?_______________________ ________
3.What may happen to people when they feel worried or excited?____ __________
4.将短文中画线句子（1）处翻译成汉语。
5.将短文中画线句子（2）处翻译成汉语。
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Spring Equinox(春分)is the fourth of the24 solar term(节气). 1. It falls on March 20 this year. On this day, day and night all over the world are equal length. After this day, daytime will last longer than night.
Spring Equinox means the most exciting days of spring have come. 2. Spring is the best time for going outside and flying kites in China. There are also other traditions for this day, such as balancing eggs. In some places, people paint the eggs in many colors and hold egg-balancing competitions. They think special gravitational forces(引力)can help eggs stand on their ends. Actually you can balance an egg on its end any day of the year, have a try for fun.
1._________________________________________
2._________________________________________
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Today, the world’s diversity(多样性) of food crops is quickly decreasing. But scientists around the world are taking action. They are building seed banks. At seed banks, scientists store the seeds of many different crops.
There are now 1,400 seed banks around the world. However, some banks are in warm countries. If the electricity fails, the seeds will get too hot and die. Other seed banks are in countries troubled by war. Sometimes people damage the seed banks. If this happens, valuable seeds can be lost forever!
The organization Global Crop Diversity Trust decided they wanted to deal with this problem. So, they decided to build a global seed bank. This seed bank would contain a back-up, or extra copy, of all the world’s seeds. Smaller seed banks would still collect and keep local seeds. But they would also send copies of their seeds to the global bank.
Scientists from the Global Crop Diversity Trust chose the cold, snowy mountains of Svalbard, Norway to build the global seed bank — the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Organizations, farmers, or local seed banks store their extra seeds there. And the people who place their seeds in the vault are the only people who can take them out. They pay to ship their seeds to Norway, but it does not cost them any money to store their seeds. The Global Crop Diversity Trust pays for this.
Cary Fowler is a scientist who heads the Global Crop Diversity Trust. He said, “If the Seed Vault simply supplies seed banks with copies of seeds that those banks lost by accident, the Seed Vault will be worth way more than it cost.”
1.Seed banks are built to ________.
A.research on seeds B.produce new seeds
C.protect crop diversity D.increase the number of seeds
2.What is the author's purpose in Paragraph 2?
A.Scientists store the seeds of many different crops at seed banks.
B.If seed banks are destroyed, valuable seeds will be lost forever.
C.Scientists want to build a global seed bank.
D.The people who place their seeds in the vault are the only people who can take them out.
3.Compared with other seed banks, the global seed bank ________.
A.was built by the government B.is more welcomed by farmers
C.is mainly used by great scientists D.can provide a good environment for seeds
4.What can we learn about the Svalbard Global Seed Vault?
A.It helps to pay the shipping cost. B.No one can take seeds out of there.
C.There are no fees to store seeds there. D.It mainly receives seeds from farmers.
5.What is Cary Fowler’s attitude towards the Seed Vault?
A.He feels it is very important. B.He is surprised at it.
C.He thinks it costs too much. D.He is uncertain about it.
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| Movies at the Museum Theatre Two Indian movies will be shown on Saturday afternoon at the Museum Theatre. See The Grand Canyon at 2:00. The Builders will be at 3:50. If you want to know more, telephone 010-367890. |
| Take Me out to the Ballgame It’s October, and Saturday night(7:00—9:00)is your final chance to see the Blue Birds this year. Get your tickets at the gate. It may be a little cold. Please wear sweaters and jackets. |
| Harbin Snow World Ski Park Price: 60 yuan/hour on weekdays and 70 yuan/ hour on weekends. Tel: 0451-979796 |
| International Picnic Do you get tired of having the same food every day? Would you like to enjoy food from all over the world? It’s delicious and not expensive. Come to Big Restaurant on Saturday 11:30 am to 5:00 pm. |
1.You can see the Indian movie on_________.
A.Saturday afternoon B.Saturday night C.Sunday afternoon D.Sunday night
2.If you will ski in Harbin Snow World Ski Park for two hours on Sunday, it costs you ________.
A.120 yuan B.130 yuan C.140 yuan D.200 yuan
3.If you go to _________, you can eat many kinds of food in the world.
A.Harbin Snow World Ski Park B.the Museum Theatre
C.the Ballgame D.International Picnic
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In many places the weather changes during the year. These changes are called seasons. In the north and south there are four seasons in a year. At the North and South Pole, there are only two seasons. In tropical（热带） places near the Earths equator（ 赤道）, there are two seasons a wet season and a dry season. Each season brings changes. They are important for plants and animals that live in different parts of the world.
Spring starts when the day and night are the same length. The weather gets warmer and sunnier. Trees and plants start to grow. Many animals have their babies in spring.
Summer begins on the longest day of the year. In the north this is on June 21 or 22. Summer is usually the warmest and sunniest time of the year. Fruit grows faster on trees and plants. Young animals grow bigger and stronger.
Autumn starts when the day and night are the same length again. During autumn, the leaves change color and fall down from the trees. Some animals collect food before winter comes.
Winter begins on the shortest day of the year. In the north this is on December 21 or 22.The weather is colder and in some places there is lots of snow. Plants and trees stop growing. Some animals, like bats and bears, find places to hide and sleep. This is called hibernation.
1.There are seasons on Greenland（格陵兰岛） at the North pole.
A.four
B.three
C.two
D.one
2.Many animals in spring.
A.have babies
B.change color
C.collect food
D.stop growing
3.Fruit grows faster on trees and plants in .
A.spring
B.summer
C.autumn
D.winter
4.The meaning of the underlined word "hibernation" is in Chinese.
A.迁徒
B.寒冷
C.储藏
D.冬眠
5. start when the day and night are the same length.
A.Spring and summer
B.Summer and autumn
C.Autumn and winter
D.Spring and autumn
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Close your eyes for a minute and imagine what life would be like if you couldn't see. Imagine having to read this text, not with your _______but with your fingers. How do you feel, then?
With medical knowledge and skills today, two-thirds of the world’s 42 million _______people are seeing a bright future. Rich country have this knowledge._______, not all developing countries do.
ORBIS is an international charitable organization（慈善组织）. Its _______is to help fight blindness all over the world. Inside a DC-8 airplane, there is a teaching hospital with a television room and a classroom. Doctors are_______the latest technology there. With it, they can help the blind get_______again here. ORBIS is always trying to keep a closer relationship among countries.
ORBIS helps those _______countries which are poor in medical knowledge by providing sight-saving training. It has taught over 35000 doctors and nurses . They continue to_______thousands of blind people every years .They have travelled around the_______ 3 times, visited 76 countries and treated over 20, 000 blind people. They are also ________more people to join them in helping open the blind eyes to the world. Would you like to give them a helping hand?
1.A.teeth B.ears C.eyes D.noses
2.A.clever B.strong C.friendly D.blind
3.A.Unluckily B.Suddenly C.Especially D.surprisingly
4.A.opinion B.problem C.advantage D.goal
5.A.learnt B.taught C.sold D. promised
6.A.wealth B.sight C.weight D.voice
7.A.developing B.powerful C.beautiful D.ancient
8.A.lead B.interview C.compare D.treat
9.A.moon B.bench C.earth D.ocean
10.A.setting up B.turning down C.looking over D.calling on
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In our increasingly fast-paced world, most adults do not get the 8-10 hours of sleep every night. Things are even worse for those with young children. A recent study showed that about 26% of parents in the United Kingdom get less than 5 hours of sleep every night. To make tired adults relax for a while, David Lloyd Clubs, a chain of gyms and fitness centers in the UK, has introduced a napping (小睡) class is called “Nap-Ercise”.
As the name suggests, the hour-long group class, as a way to “reinvigorate (使再振作) the mind and improve moods”, does not have any exercise. Instead, clients (顾客) are guided through 15 minutes of light stretching (拉伸) to help them relax. Then, they are encouraged to cuddle (依偎) under the blankets of a comfortable bed, cover their eyes with an eye mask, and take a nap for 45 minutes. With music playing and the room set to the perfect temperature, clients can have the best possible sleep. The class is currently being offered at just one place. If popular, they will be given to more other David Lloyd Clubs.
Although the class sounds like a marketing plan, there might be some science behind it. According to a study done at the Allegheny College in Pennsylvania, participants who took a 45-minute nap in the middle of their day not only help them feel well-rested, but also deal with stress better than those who didn’t. And a different study from the University of California at Berkeley showed that a 45-minute nap in the middle of the day helps to improve learning abilities.
1.The purpose of offering the napping class is to _________.
A. give the tired people a chance to relax
B. give the homeless people a room to take a nap
C. help the people who aren’t able to sleep fall asleep
D. let people make more friends in the napping class
2.What does the last passage talk about?
A. Some studies about the napping class.
B. The advantages of taking a nap.
C. Something that should be noticed during a nap.
D. How long people should spend taking a nap.
3.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. More than a quarter of adults in the UK sleep less than 5 hours.
B. A napping class will last for about an hour.
C. The class only offers blankets, a bed, and relaxing music to clients.
D. There will be the napping class in more David Lloyd Clubs.
4.What’s the best title for the passage?
A. Group napping classes for tired clients.
B. Why people need to take a nap.
C. The different ideas about taking a nap.
D. The science behind taking a nap.
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During the World Cup,some people ________ all night to watch the games.
A.wake up B.Get up C.stay up D.make up
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根据句意，用括号中所给单词的正确形式填空，每空一至两词。
1.The lazier you are, the (far) from the success.
2.He will get (surprise) when he sees the new building.
3.I think she is a very (attract) girl.
4.We will fight with all our old (enemy) and win the fight.
5.“I'm sure we'll find it,” he said (hopeful).