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California Condor’s Shocking Recovery
California condors are North America’s largest birds, with wind-length of up to 3 meters. In the 1980s, electrical lines and lead poisoning(铅中毒) nearly drove them to dying out. Now, electric shock training and medical treatment are helping to rescue these big birds.
In the late 1980s, the last few condors were taken from the wild to be bred(繁殖). Since 1992, there have been multiple reintroductions to the wild, and there are now more than 150 flying over California and nearby Arizona, Utah and Baja in Mexico.
Electrical lines have been killing them off. “As they go in to rest for the night, they just don’t see the power lines,” says Bruce Rideout of San Diego Zoo. Their wings can bridge the gap between lines, resulting in electrocution(电死) if they touch two lines at once.
So scientists have come up with a shocking idea. Tall poles, placed in large training areas, teach the birds to stay clear of electrical lines by giving them a painful but undeadly electric shock. Before the training was introduced, 66% of set-freed birds died of electrocution. This has now dropped to 18%.
Lead poisonous has proved more difficult to deal with. When condors eat dead bodies of other animals containing lead, they absorb large quantities of lead. This affects their nervous systems and ability to produce baby birds, and can lead to kidney(肾) failures and death. So condors with high levels of lead are sent to Los Angeles Zoo, where they are treated with calcium EDTA, a chemical that removes lead from the blood over several days. This work is starting to pay off. The annual death rate for adult condors has dropped from 38% in 2000 to 5.4% in 2011.
Rideout’s team thinks that the California condors’ average survival time in the wild is now just under eight years. “Although these measures are not effective forever, they are vital for now,” he says. “They are truly good birds that are worth every effort we put into recovering them. ”
1.California condors attract researchers’ interest because they _________.
A. are active at night
B. had to be bred in the wild
C. are found only in California
D. almost died out in the 1980s
2.Researchers have found electrical lines are _________.
A. blocking condors’ journey home
B. big killers of California condors
C. rest places for condors at night
D. used to keep condors away
3.According to Paragraph 5, lead poisoning _________.
A. makes condors too nervous to fly
B. has little effect on condors’ kidneys
C. can hardly be gotten rid of from condors’ blood
D. makes it difficult for condors to produce baby birds
4.This passage shows that _________.
A. the average survival time of condors is satisfactory
B. Rideout’s research interest lies in electric engineering
C. the efforts to protect condors have brought good results
D. researchers have found the final answers to the problem
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California Condor’s Shocking Recovery
California condors are North America’s largest birds, with wind-length of up to 3 meters. In the 1980s, electrical lines and lead poisoning(铅中毒) nearly drove them to dying out. Now, electric shock training and medical treatment are helping to rescue these big birds.
In the late 1980s, the last few condors were taken from the wild to be bred(繁殖). Since 1992, there have been multiple reintroductions to the wild, and there are now more than 150 flying over California and nearby Arizona, Utah and Baja in Mexico.
Electrical lines have been killing them off. “As they go in to rest for the night, they just don’t see the power lines,” says Bruce Rideout of San Diego Zoo. Their wings can bridge the gap between lines, resulting in electrocution(电死) if they touch two lines at once.
So scientists have come up with a shocking idea. Tall poles, placed in large training areas, teach the birds to stay clear of electrical lines by giving them a painful but undeadly electric shock. Before the training was introduced, 66% of set-freed birds died of electrocution. This has now dropped to 18%.
Lead poisonous has proved more difficult to deal with. When condors eat dead bodies of other animals containing lead, they absorb large quantities of lead. This affects their nervous systems and ability to produce baby birds, and can lead to kidney(肾) failures and death. So condors with high levels of lead are sent to Los Angeles Zoo, where they are treated with calcium EDTA, a chemical that removes lead from the blood over several days. This work is starting to pay off. The annual death rate for adult condors has dropped from 38% in 2000 to 5.4% in 2011.
Rideout’s team thinks that the California condors’ average survival time in the wild is now just under eight years. “Although these measures are not effective forever, they are vital for now,” he says. “They are truly good birds that are worth every effort we put into recovering them. ”
1.California condors attract researchers’ interest because they _________.
A. are active at night
B. had to be bred in the wild
C. are found only in California
D. almost died out in the 1980s
2.Researchers have found electrical lines are _________.
A. blocking condors’ journey home
B. big killers of California condors
C. rest places for condors at night
D. used to keep condors away
3.According to Paragraph 5, lead poisoning _________.
A. makes condors too nervous to fly
B. has little effect on condors’ kidneys
C. can hardly be gotten rid of from condors’ blood
D. makes it difficult for condors to produce baby birds
4.This passage shows that _________.
A. the average survival time of condors is satisfactory
B. Rideout’s research interest lies in electric engineering
C. the efforts to protect condors have brought good results
D. researchers have found the final answers to the problem
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California Condor’s Shocking Recovery
California condors are North America’s largest birds, with wind-length of up to 3 meters. In the 1980s, electrical lines and lead poisoning(铅中毒) nearly drove them to dying out. Now, electric shock training and medical treatment are helping to rescue these big birds.
In the late 1980s, the last few condors were taken from the wild to be bred(繁殖). Since 1992, there have been multiple reintroductions to the wild, and there are now more than 150 flying over California and nearby Arizona, Utah and Baja in Mexico.
Electrical lines have been killing them off. “As they go in to rest for the night, they just don’t see the power lines,” says Bruce Rideout of San Diego Zoo. Their wings can bridge the gap between lines, resulting in electrocution(电死) if they touch two lines at once.
So scientists have come up with a shocking idea. Tall poles, placed in large training areas, teach the birds to stay clear of electrical lines by giving them a painful but undeadly electric shock. Before the training was introduced, 66% of set-freed birds died of electrocution. This has now dropped to 18%.
Lead poisonous has proved more difficult to deal with. When condors eat dead bodies of other animals containing lead, they absorb large quantities of lead. This affects their nervous systems and ability to produce baby birds, and can lead to kidney(肾) failures and death. So condors with high levels of lead are sent to Los Angeles Zoo, where they are treated with calcium EDTA, a chemical that removes lead from the blood over several days. This work is starting to pay off. The annual death rate for adult condors has dropped from 38% in 2000 to 5.4% in 2011.
Rideout’s team thinks that the California condors’ average survival time in the wild is now just under eight years. “Although these measures are not effective forever, they are vital for now,” he says. “They are truly good birds that are worth every effort we put into recovering them. ”
1. California condors attract researchers’ interest because they _________.
A. are active at night
B. had to be bred in the wild
C. are found only in California
D. almost died out in the 1980s
2.Researchers have found electrical lines are _________.
A. blocking condors’ journey home
B. big killers of California condors
C. rest places for condors at night
D. used to keep condors away
3.According to Paragraph 5, lead poisoning _________.
A. makes condors too nervous to fly
B. has little effect on condors’ kidneys
C. can hardly be gotten rid of from condors’ blood
D. makes it difficult for condors to produce baby birds
4. This passage shows that _________.
A. the average survival time of condors is satisfactory
B. Rideout’s research interest lies in electric engineering
C. the efforts to protect condors have brought good results
D. researchers have found the final answers to the problem
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California Condor’s Shocking Recovery
California condors are North America’s largest birds, with wing-length of up to 3 meters. In the 1980s, electrical lines and lead poisoning(铅中毒) nearly drove them to dying out. Now, electric shock training and medical treatment are helping to rescue these big birds.
In the late 1980s, the last few condors were taken from the wild, and there are now more than 150 flying over California and nearby Arizona, Utah and Baja in Mexico.
Electrical lines have been killing them off. “As they go in to rest for the night, they just don’t see the power lines,” says Bruce Rideout of San Diego Zoo. Their wings can bridge the gap between lines, resulting in electrocution(电死) if they touch two lines at once.
So scientists have come up with a shocking idea. Tall poles, placed in large training areas, teach the birds to stay clear of electrical lines by giving them a painful but undeadly electric shock. Before the training was introduced, 66% of set-freed condors died of electrocution. This has now dropped to 18%.
Lead poisonous has proved more difficult to deal with. When condors eat dead bodies of other animals containing lead, they absorb large quantities of lead. This affects their nervous systems and ability to produce baby birds, and can lead to kidney(肾) failures and death. So condors with high levels of lead are sent to Los Angeles Zoo, where they are treated with calcium EDTA, a chemical that removes lead from the blood over several days. This work is starting to pay off. The annual death rate for adult condors has dropped from 38% in 2000 to 5.4% in 2011.
Rideout’s team thinks that the California condors’ average survival time in the wild is now just under eight years. “Although these measures are not effective forever, they are vital for now,” he says. “They are truly good birds that are worth every effort we put into recovering them. ”
1.California condors attract researchers’ interest because they .
A.are active at night
B.had to be bred in the wild
C.are found on in California
D.almost died out in the 1980s
2.Researchers have found electrical lines are.
A.blocking condors’ journey home
B. big killers of Califorbnia condoras
C. rest places for condors at night
D. used to keep condors away
3.According to Paraghaph 5 ,lead poisoning.
A.makes condors too nervous to fly
B. has little effect on condors’ kidneys
C. can hardly be gotten rid of form condors’ blood
D. makes it different for condors to produce baby birds
4.The passage shows that .
A.the average survival time of condors is satisfactory
B.Rideout’s research interest lies in electric engineering
C.the efforts to protect condors have brought good results
D.researchers have found the final answers to the problem
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The first English version of the famous martial arts novel, “The Legend of the Condor Heroes” (《射雕英雄传》) 1. (schedule) to come out in the UK next year.2. almost every Chinese person knows, the novel was written by Louis Cha, better known by his pen name, Jin Yong. London-based MacLehose Press has confirmed that the novel will come out in 12 volumes (册), with the first 3. (set) to come out on Feb. 22.
In the publisher’s promotional 4. (introduce) of the “The Legend of the Condor Heroes”, the series was referred to as a Chinese version of “Game of Thrones” (《权利的游戏》). The first volume has been translated by Anna Holmwood, an English publishing agent 5. (work) together with many famous Chinese writers, such as Yu Hua, Liu Zhenyun, and Yan Ge. Holmwood 6. (translate) “The Legend of the Condor Heroes” since 2012, and from the second volume onwards she invited Gigi Chang to help her 7. the translation.
Louis Cha is China’s most influential martial arts author with 8. total of 15 novels. Since the 1950s, about 100 million 9. (copy) of his works have been sold around the world. But only three of them have been translated for the English-speaking world. They are “Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain”, “The Deer and the Cauldron” and “The Book and the Sword”. Louis Cha is widely recognized as one of the most 10. (success) authors in China.
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This month, when earthquakes rocked Southern California on back-to-back days, it was a shocking reminder that we may one day experience the “Big One,” a quake with the power to kill and destroy. However a few people saw something else: a photo opportunity.
Tourists flocked to a large crack in a highway to see evidence of the damage for themselves and, of course, take a quick selfie(自拍).
It was only the latest example of how our modern love of sharing photos we take of ourselves in notable situations is colliding with nature and the world, often in confusing and even dangerous ways.
In Canada, a sunflower farm barred visitors last year after selfie-seekers destroyed flowers and left the land looking like a “zombie apocalypse.”(僵尸启示录) In Spain, a man was gored in the neck last weekend while trying to take a video selfie at the annual running of the bulls in Pamplona.
The selfie phenomenon entered the mainstream after Apple and other phonemakers added front-facing cameras starting in 2010, the same year Instagram and other photo-sharing apps were becoming popular. From 2011 to 2017, more than 250 people died while taking selfies, according to a study by researchers in India, which had by far the highest number of such deaths, followed by Russia and the United States. Many died after drowning, falling or being attacked by an animal. Most were under the age of 30.
It’s easy to be uncomfortable with selfies and even mock them, especially when they’re risky or in bad taste. But some researchers have explored different questions: Why do we take selfies? Can they ever be a healthy form of expression? Can selfies be used for good?
1.Why does the author mention the earthquake happened in Southern California?
A.To show how severe the earthquake is.
B.To warn the readers of the dangers in the earthquake.
C.To introduce the risky behavior of the crazy selfie takers.
D.To show how scared people are when earthquake happened.
2.The sunflower farm in Canada barred visitors, because____________
A.there are too many visitors.
B.the farm used to be devastated by selfie seekers.
C.the sunflowers are supposed to be well protected.
D.the farm owner did not want others to enjoy the beautiful sunflowers.
3.What is the right order of the following countries according to the number of selfie deaths?
A.the US, India, Russia. B.Russia, the US, India.
C.India, Russia, the US. D.India, the US, Russia.
4.How did the author feel about selfie?
A.Positive. B.Negative.
C.Ambiguous. D.Uncaring.
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A California man who was feeling sick almost died recently from a shocking cause.
26-year-old Luis Ortiz went to a hospital because of a headache and nausea(恶心，作呕). When doctors examined him, they were shocked to find a tapeworm larva(绦虫幼虫) in his brain. The story gets stranger. The larva was still alive.
The creature had caused a cyst(囊肿) to form inside his head. The cyst was restricting the flow of liquids to different areas of his brain. The situation was so serious that doctors said they had to perform an emergency operation to remove the larva.
A doctor who operated on Ortiz told him he had only 30 minutes to live. When the doctor pulled the worm out of his head, it was still moving.
Luis Ortiz was a student at California State University in Sacramento. He began experiencing headaches in late August. But Ortiz said he did not think the headaches were serious.
In September, he visited a friend and his parents in another city. That is when the pain got worse. His mother saw Ortiz throwing up and took him to a hospital emergency room.
The doctors saved Ortiz's life. However, the surgery also affected him. Ortiz had to drop out of school and move back home. For now, he is not permitted to work or drive a vehicle.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the U.S. has about 1,000 reported cases of tapeworms each year. The CDC adds that tapeworms are more common in developing countries with poor public health systems.
The best way to avoid a tapeworm infection (感染)is to wash fruits and vegetables. Also, make sure meat is cooked thoroughly. The CDC suggests cooking all meats to an internal temperature of at least 63 degrees Celsius.
1. What caused Luis Ortiz to feel sick and headaches?
A. Dirty food eaten in August.
B. Travelling for a long way,
C. A living creature in his brain.
D. Uncooked meat eaten by him.
2.If the doctors didn’t have an emergency operation on him , Luis Ortiz was likely to ________ _ .
A. die of cancer B. live for only half an hour
C. finish studying in school D. pass the driving tests
3. How should people avoid infecting tapeworms?
A. By washing fruits and vegetable.
B. By boiling plates and bowls before meals.
C. By cooking meats to at least 63 °C outside,
D. By improving the development of economy.
4. What did the writer think of the cause of Luis Ortiz’s disease?
A. Quite frightening. B. Very dangerous.
C. Rather puzzling. D. Extremely surprising.
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A California man who was feeling sick almost died recently from a shocking cause．
26-year-old Luis Ortiz went to a hospital because of a headache and nausea(恶心，作呕)．When doctors examined him, they were shocked to find a tapeworm larva(绦虫幼虫) in his brain．The story gets stranger．The larva was still alive．
The creature had caused a cyst(囊肿) to form inside his head．The cyst was restricting the flow of liquids to different areas of his brain．The situation was so serious that doctors said they had to perform an emergency operation to remove the larva．
A doctor who operated on Ortiz told him he had only 30 minutes to live．When the doctor pulled the worm out of his head, it was still moving．
Luis Ortiz was a student at California State University in Sacramento．He began experiencing headaches in late August．But Ortiz said he did not think the headaches were serious．
In September, he visited a friend and his parents in another city．That is when the pain got worse．His mother saw Ortiz throwing up and took him to a hospital emergency room．
The doctors saved Ortiz's life．However, the surgery also affected him．Ortiz had to drop out of school and move back home．For now, he is not permitted to work or drive a vehicle．
The U．S．Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the U．S．has about 1,000 reported cases of tapeworms each year．The CDC adds that tapeworms are more common in developing countries with poor public health systems．
The best way to avoid a tapeworm infection (感染)is to wash fruits and vegetables．Also, make sure meat is cooked thoroughly．The CDC suggests cooking all meats to an internal temperature of at least 63 degrees Celsius．
1.What caused Luis Ortiz to feel sick and headaches?
A．Dirty food eaten in August．
B．Travelling for a long way,
C．A living creature in his brain．
D．Uncooked meat eaten by him．
2.If the doctors didn’t have an emergency operation on him , Luis Ortiz was likely to _．
A．die of cancer
B．live for only half an hour
C．finish studying in school
D．pass the driving tests
3.How should people avoid infecting tapeworms?
A．By washing fruits and vegetable．
B．By boiling plates and bowls before meals．
C．By cooking meats to at least 63 °C outside．
D．By improving the development of economy．
4.What did the writer think of the cause of Luis Ortiz’s disease?
A．Quite frightening．
B．Very dangerous．
C．Rather puzzling．
D．Extremely surprising．
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North America's birds are disappearing from the skies at a rate that's shocking even to ornithologists （鸟类学家）.Since the 1970s, the continent has lost 3 billion birds, nearly 30% of the total, and even common birds such as sparrows and blackbirds are in decline, U.S. and Canadian researchers report this week online in Science. The findings raise fears that some familiar species could go the way of the passenger pigeon, a species once so abundant that its extinction in the early 1900s seemed unthinkable.
The results, ever done to North American birds, point to ecosystems in disorder because of habitat loss and other factors, researchers say. Yet ecologist Paul Ehrlich at Stanford University, California sees some hope in this new bad news: “ It might encourage needed action in view of the public interest in our feathered friends. ”
In past decades, Ehrlich and others have recorded the decline of particular bird groups, including migratory songbirds. All together, they studied 529 bird species, about three-quarters of all species in North America, accounting for more than 90% of the entire bird population. Rosenberg and his colleagues report Grassland birds have declined by 53% since 1970—a loss of 700 million adults in the 31 species studied. Habitat loss may be to blame.
The familiar birds that flock by the thousands in suburbs were not exempt（例外）. “There's a decline of the numbers of common birds,” Rosenberg says. His team determined that 19 common species have each lost more than 50 million birds since 1970. Twelve groups, including sparrows, warblers, finches, and blackbirds, were particularly hard hit. Even introduced species that have increased in North America, such as starlings and house sparrows, are losing ground.
1.What is happening to North America's birds?
A.Most of them are dying out. B.Some of them are decreasing.
C.They are disappearing quickly. D.They are raising fears to humans.
2.What does Paul Ehrlich mean?
A.The bad news will bring interest to the birds.
B.The bad news might alarm people to take action.
C.North America's birds need our help.
D.North America's birds suffered great loss.
3.What is the last paragraph mainly about?
A.Some common birds are also decreasing.
B.Some birds die from losing their habitat.
C.The research team found some unusual things.
D.The research team studied birds in North America.
4.In which section of a website may this text appear?
A.Environment. B.Health.
C.Education. D.Science.
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All across California, honeybees are flying away from their hives(蜂箱) and dying. Empty hives are causing a lot of worry about some important food crops.
Bees give us a lot more than delicious honey. They are pollinators（授粉者）—they enable plants to produce the fruits and nuts we enjoy by carrying pollen from one plant or flower to the next. The wind pollinates oats, corn, and wheat, but many other plants (like apple and cherry trees and melon vines) depend on insects, bats, and birds. In the U.S., millions and millions of bees kept by human beekeepers fly around doing a lot of this important work for food crops. “Bees are worth protecting because their work adds so much to our diet,” says Dr. Jeff Pettis of the Bee Research Laboratory.
California’s almond (杏仁) crop alone depends on about half the bees in the country. But now the almond crop and many others could be in trouble with so many bees dying.
Researchers at government and university labs all over the country are trying to figure out why so many bees are dying. However, bees are hard to study. Most die away from the hive, so researchers don’t have dead bodies to examine. And when researchers return to a hive after two weeks, about half the bees they studied on their first visit will be dead, replaced by new ones in the natural life cycle of bees. “It isn’t like studying a large animal like a cow that doesn’t move around much and is easy to find out in the cow field,” says Pettis.
Researchers have some ideas about what could be affecting bee health. They could be sick from poisons widely used to kill insects, or they might not be getting enough good food to stay strong. Also, tiny insects called mites feed on bees. “A virus or bacteria could also be doing the killing.” explains Pettis.
1.What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?
A. The wind helps pollinate.
B. Bees are important in food crops.
C. Bees give us a lot of delicious honey.
D. Cherry trees are pollinated by bees.
2.Bees are hard to study because ____________.
A. they move around too much
B. new bees soon replace all the bees studied by researchers
C. they are too tiny
D. they never return to hives
3.What could cause so many bees to die?
A. Poisons to kill birds. B. Eating too much.
C. Large insects. D. Some virus.
4.What can we learn from the article?
A. A large number of bees have died in the hive.
B. Without bees, some foods would disappear from our diet.
C. Only researchers in California want to know what kills bees.
D. Large animals are easier to study than tiny insects.