Visiting animals in their natural homes may sound like a great idea that helps to save them, but is it ?
Researchers writing in Trends in Ecology ＆ Evolution on Oct9 said that the interactions between wild animals and friendly eco-tourists who want to take their pictures may put animals at greater risk of being eaten.
It is clear that many people visit protected areas every year. “Recent data showed that protected areas around the globe have 8 billion visitors per year; that’s like each human on Earth visited a protected area once a year, and then some!”said Dainel Blumstein of the University of California, Los Anglels. “This amount of nature tourism and eco-tourism can be added to the long list of ways in which humans cause fast environmental change.
The basic idea of the report the report is that humans change the ways animals act and those changes might affect other parts of their lives, according to Science Daily. Those changes in behavior and activity may put animals at risk.
“When animals spend time in ‘harmless’ ways with humans, they may let down their guard,” Blumstein said. As animals get used to feeling comfortable with humans, they may become braver in other situations, he says . “If this bravery continues when they meet real predators（捕食者）， then they will die more often when they meet them.”
Eco-tourism is in some ways similar to making animals live in human homes or in cities. In all three cases, regular interactions between people and animals tame. Evidence has shown that silver foxes that live with people become more laid-back and less fearful; this results from evolutionary changes but also from spending time with humans. Simply put , as Blumstein asked in the Scientific American magazine:“Does eco-tourism make animals dumb?”
And that’s not all - humans can also scare away natural predators , creating the so-called “human shield effect” and a safe environment for smaller animals that might make them braver, too. When humans are around, for example, vervet monkeys don’t see as many leopards (猎豹) trying to eat them.
Blumstein says they hope to do more research into humans’ interactions with wildlife. Scientists will “now have to understand better how different species and species in different situations react to humans and when humans might put them at risk.
1.The main focus of report in Trends in Ecology ＆ Evolution was the idea that ______.
A. eco-tourism cause damage to the natural homes of wildlife.
B. it is easy for eco-tourists to build up trust with wide animals.
C. the changes brought by eco-tourism may be harmful.
D. protected areas around the world are overloaded with tourists.
2.The underlined word “dumb” in paragraph 6 probably means ________.
A. anxious B. active C. curious D. stupid
3.The author uses vervet monkeys as an example to show that ________.
A. different species react to humans in different ways.
B. the presence of humans reduces the threat from predators
C. smaller animals tend to be braver in front of predators.
D. interactions with humans make animals more relaxed and less fearful.
4.We can infer that the writer wrote this passage mainly to .
A．explain what eco-tourism is
B．tell us something interesting about Nature
C．suggest that we stop eating meat to save animals
D．Wildlife tourism may seem helpful, but it can be deadly for some animals
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题
Visiting animals in their natural homes may sound like a great idea that helps to save them, but is it ?
Researchers writing in Trends in Ecology ＆ Evolution on Oct9 said that the interactions between wild animals and friendly eco-tourists who want to take their pictures may put animals at greater risk of being eaten.
It is clear that many people visit protected areas every year. “Recent data showed that protected areas around the globe have 8 billion visitors per year; that’s like each human on Earth visited a protected area once a year, and then some!”said Dainel Blumstein of the University of California, Los Anglels. “This amount of nature tourism and eco-tourism can be added to the long list of ways in which humans cause fast environmental change.
The basic idea of the report the report is that humans change the ways animals act and those changes might affect other parts of their lives, according to Science Daily. Those changes in behavior and activity may put animals at risk.
“When animals spend time in ‘harmless’ ways with humans, they may let down their guard,” Blumstein said. As animals get used to feeling comfortable with humans, they may become braver in other situations, he says . “If this bravery continues when they meet real predators（捕食者）， then they will die more often when they meet them.”
Eco-tourism is in some ways similar to making animals live in human homes or in cities. In all three cases, regular interactions between people and animals tame. Evidence has shown that silver foxes that live with people become more laid-back and less fearful; this results from evolutionary changes but also from spending time with humans. Simply put , as Blumstein asked in the Scientific American magazine:“Does eco-tourism make animals dumb?”
And that’s not all - humans can also scare away natural predators , creating the so-called “human shield effect” and a safe environment for smaller animals that might make them braver, too. When humans are around, for example, vervet monkeys don’t see as many leopards (猎豹) trying to eat them.
Blumstein says they hope to do more research into humans’ interactions with wildlife. Scientists will “now have to understand better how different species and species in different situations react to humans and when humans might put them at risk.
1.The main focus of report in Trends in Ecology ＆ Evolution was the idea that ______.
A. eco-tourism cause damage to the natural homes of wildlife.
B. it is easy for eco-tourists to build up trust with wide animals.
C. the changes brought by eco-tourism may be harmful.
D. protected areas around the world are overloaded with tourists.
2.The underlined word “dumb” in paragraph 6 probably means ________.
A. anxious B. active C. curious D. stupid
3.The author uses vervet monkeys as an example to show that ________.
A. different species react to humans in different ways.
B. the presence of humans reduces the threat from predators
C. smaller animals tend to be braver in front of predators.
D. interactions with humans make animals more relaxed and less fearful.
4.We can infer that the writer wrote this passage mainly to .
A．explain what eco-tourism is
B．tell us something interesting about Nature
C．suggest that we stop eating meat to save animals
D．Wildlife tourism may seem helpful, but it can be deadly for some animals
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Seeing their son back home safe and sound, the couple smiled _____.
A. in peace B. in relief C. in return D. in turn
高一英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
Scientists say only enlarging the world’s nature reserve to help protect plants and animals may be useless. The main reason is that levels of human activity are rising in and around the nature reserves. In fact, recognizing spaces as protected areas is not reducing human activity there.
The researchers found that a lack of money to pay for land conservation（保护）is affecting conservation efforts. And it is a lack of communication between people who live in protected natural areas and outsiders. About 17 percent of the world is within protected areas, including the national parks, nature reserves and wilderness areas. Protected areas are important for supporting environments with many different kinds of plants and animals.
The researchers again found increasing human activity in most protected areas in every country. However, they said that human activity appeared to be more of a problem in nations with fewer roads and lower life standards on the Human Development Index（指数）. The index uses information about life length, education and earnings to grade countries on human development.
Across the northern Australia, protected areas often proved effective at slowing human activity when compared with unprotected areas. But in South America, Southeast Asia and African countries, pressure from human activity inside protected areas was higher.
Experts say governments need to provide fund support to help protected areas. Simply recognizing a place as a protected area can’t be the beginning and the end of a conservation effort. Working with local people to take efforts is also important. If they’re not partners in the protected areas, then wildlife conservation is much more difficult.
1.What are protected areas mainly affected by according to the text?
A.Human activity. B.Climate change.
C.Population growth. D.Environmental pollution.
2.What’s the Human Development Index used to do?
A.Record more roads in the world.
B.Improve education in all countries.
C.Grade countries on human development.
D.Lead more people to make more money.
3.What can be the best title for the text?
A.People May Cause Harm to Plants and Animals
B.Nature Reserves May Not Protect Wildlife Safely
C.Nature Reserves in the World Should Be Increased
D.Local People Should Focus on the Natural Environment
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Scientists say only enlarging the world’s nature reserve to help protect plants and animals may be useless. The main reason is that levels of human activity are rising in and around the nature reserves. In fact, recognizing spaces as protected areas is not reducing human activity there.
The researchers found that a lack of money to pay for land conservation (保护) is affecting conservation efforts. And it is a lack of communication between people who live in protected natural areas and outsiders. About 17 percent of the world is within protected areas, including the national parks, nature reserves and wilderness areas. Protected areas are important for supporting environments with many different kinds of plants and animals.
The researchers again found increasing human activity in most protected areas in every country. However, they said that human activity appeared to be more of a problem in nations with fewer roads and lower life standards on the Human Development Index (指数). The index uses information about life length, education and earnings to grade countries on human development.
Across the northern Australia, protected areas often proved effective at slowing human activity when compared with unprotected areas. But in South America, Southeast Asia and African countries, pressure from human activity inside protected areas was higher.
Experts say governments need to provide fund support to help protected areas. Simply recognizing a place as a protected area can’t be the beginning and the end of a conservation effort. Working with local people to take efforts is also important. If they’re not partners in the protected areas, then wildlife conservation is much more difficult.
1.What are protected areas mainly affected by according to the text?
A.Human activity. B.Climate change.
C.Population growth. D.Environmental pollution.
2.What’s the Human Development Index used to do?
A.Record more roads in the world.
B.Improve education in all countries.
C.Grade countries on human development.
D.Lead more people to make money.
3.What do experts advise governments to do for protected areas?
A.Enlarge protected areas.
B.Offer extra money and work with locals.
C.Attract more people to travel there.
D.Allow local people to farm there.
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A.People May Cause Harm to Plants and Animals
B.Local People Should Focus on the Natural Environment
C.Nature Reserves in the World Should Be Increased
D.Nature Reserves May Not Protect Wildlife Safely
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Many people like traveling. Travel in Canada has become exciting as a number of lakes including “Great Lakes” in Canada make it attractive. In fact, Canada has more lakes than any other country which contains fresh water. In addition to lakes, Canada has a number of beaches as it has a long coastline on its north, east, and west. Travelers from around the world come in large numbers to enjoy sunbath at various beaches.
Niagara Falls lie on the border of Canada and the US. It is now popular for its beauty and is a valuable source of hydroelectric power. Niagara Falls are most attractive during summer season when weather condition is charming and attractive. At the Canadian side, floodlights illuminate(照亮) both sides of the fall for several hours after dark and the whole scene becomes magnificent.
When traveling to Canada, travelers can enjoy doing shopping at Toronto which is considered a leading city. It symbolizes American culture and the spirit of independence. Migrants form European, Latin American, Asian and Caribbean races inhabit the place and make it a plural society. Ottawa, on the other hand, is the capital of Canada and center of political activities.
Vancouver is an enlightening city in Canada which was named after British Captain George Vancouver, who explored the area in the 1790s. The city is a leading industrial place in Canada. Another tourist attraction in Canada is the capital city of British Columbia, Victoria. The city is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island.
Travel in Canada is being made easy as transportation facilities are of higher standard. Besides, very few people know that Canada is a high-paying country in terms of wages per hour. In addition to a popular tourist destination, Canada is an economic powerhouse of North America, particularly in agriculture products. Canada dairy industry exports milk products around the world.
1.What attracts travelers most in Canada according to the first paragraph?
A. Coastlines and sunbath. B. Lakes and beaches.
C. Animals and plants. D. Mountains and water.
2.The second paragraph is mainly to tell us_________.
A. Canada and the US B. the beauty of Niagara Falls
C. the importance of the fall D. the hydroelectric power
3.What do we know about Toronto according to the passage?
A. It is a political center in Canada. B. It displays the Canadian bravery.
C. Its people come from different countries D. Travelers can buy something cheap there..
4.Captain George Vancouver is referred to in the fourth paragraph in order to _____.
A. tell us a history story B. compare Vancouver and Victoria
C. remind us to keep him in mind D. introduce the city of Vancouver
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Like their ancient toga-wearing counterparts, modern philosophers continue to disagree on the nature of freewill. Do we really have any control over the choices we make and the things we desire, and if so, to what degree?
Theories of freewill vary, but the ancient words of Plato still line up with our modern perceptions(概念) of temptation and willpower. The respected Greek philosopher argued that the human experience is one of constant struggle between the intellect and the body, between rationality and desire. Along these lines, true freedom is only achievable when willpower unchains us from bodily, emotional, instinctual slavery.
You can find similar thoughts throughout world religions, most of which offer a particular and often difficult path to rise above our darker natures.
And science? Well, science mostly agrees with all of this. Willpower is all about overcoming your natural desires to eat cupcakes, skip your morning workout, play games on mobile phone, hit the snooze alarm and check your e-mail during a funeral.
Your willpower, however, is limited. If life were a video game, you'd see a glowing "willpower" or "ego"(自我) meter at the top of the screen next to your "life" meter. Successfully resist one temptation, and the meter drains a little. The next temptation drains the "willpower" meter even more, until there's nothing left at all.
Our modern scientific understanding of willpower in large part stems from a 1996 research experiment involving chocolate and radishes(小红萝卜). Psychologist Roy Baumeister led a study in which 67 test subjects were presented with tempting chocolate chip cookies and other chocolate-flavored treats before a persistence-testing puzzle. Here's the catch: The researchers asked some of the participants to withdraw from sweets and snack on radishes instead.
Baumeister's results told a fascinating story. The test subjects who resisted the sweet stuff in favor of radishes performed poorly on the persistence test. They simply didn't have the willpower left to resist slacking off(松懈).
The research inspired more than a thousand additional studies discussing everything from the influence of positive messages to the ego-sapping power of daily decisions.
Studies also show that cognitive capacity also affects our ability to hold out against temptation. Cognitive capacity is essentially your working memory, which you employ when resisting a temptation ... or holding a string of numbers in your head. A 1999 study from the University of Iowa professor Baba Shiv found that people tasked with remembering a two-digit number held out better than people remembering a seven-digit number when tempted with chocolate cake.
1.What do you understand by ‘freewill’?
A.The control we have over the choices.
B.The choices we make and the things we desire.
C.The choices that philosophers force us to make.
D.Our perception of temptation.
2.According to Plato, when is true freedom available?
A.Willpower to realize one’s own ego. B.Our ability to overcome temptation.
C.Our ability to remember things. D.The desire to give in to temptation.
3.What is meant by ‘cognitive capacity’?
A.When there is a struggle between the intellect and the body.
B.When our willpower helps us to overcome our basic instincts.
C.When we desire that which we cannot achieve.
D.When we have no control over our ego.
高一英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Animals suffered at the hands of Man ______ their homes were destroyed by people to make way for agricultural need to provide food for more people.
A. in which B. for which C. so that D. in that
高一英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析
As a result of destroying the forest, ______ of animals ______losing their homes.
A．a number; is B．the number; is C．a number; are D．the number; are
高一英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
The changes of the plants and animals in an area ________ from differences in climate and the nature of the country.
A. rise B. raise C. arouse D. arise
高一英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
Animals Can Sense Natural Disasters
Among the dead in South Asia’ s tsunami（海啸）were many tourists at Sri Lanka’ s national wildlife park at Yala. But very few of the park’s animals — elephants, buffaloes, monkeys and wild cats — appear to have died. There are theories that animals can sense natural disasters and run away to safety.
First, it’s possible that the animals may have heard the quake before the tsunami hit. The underwater burst produced sound waves known as infrasound（次声）. Humans can’t hear infrasound, but many animals including dogs, elephants, tigers and pigeons can.
A second early warning sign the animals might have sensed is ground vibration（震动）. The great quake would have produced vibrational waves known as Rayleigh waves. These vibrations move through the ground like waves moving on the surface of the ocean but faster. They travel at ten times the speed of sound. The Rayleigh waves would have reached Sri Lanka hours before the water hit. Mammals, birds, insects and spiders can sense Rayleigh waves. So the animals at Yala might have felt the Rayleigh waves and then run to higher ground.
But what about humans? While we can’t hear infrasound, we can feel it, although we don’t necessarily know we’re feeling it. We also experience Rayleigh waves by special sensors in our joints（关节）, which exist just for that purpose. Sadly, it seems we don’t pay attention to the information when we get it. Maybe we screen it out because there’s so much going on before our eyes and in our ears.
1.Why did few animals at Yala die when the tsunamis that caused a huge number of human deaths hit?
A．Because human beings cannot hear the infrasonic sound.
B．Because the animals were staying at a higher place in the park.
C．Because the animals were able to run much faster than human beings.
D．Because the animals might have picked up the danger signals and ran away.
2.Which of the statements about “Rayleigh waves” is true?
A．Rayleigh waves can be felt both by animals and human beings.
B．Rayleigh waves, just like infrasonic sound, can only be felt by animals.
C．Rayleigh waves are vibrational waves that usually cause quakes or tsunamis.
D．Rayleigh waves move on the ocean surface at a speed ten times that of sound waves.
3.According to the passage, which of the statement is true?
A．We can’t feel the infrasound so we can’t be informed of the danger.
B．We ignore the information of tsunami’s coming even though we can also get it.
C．We were so busy on our minds that we feel neither infrasound nor Rayleigh waves.
D．We can feel Rayleigh waves and infrasound so we can escape the danger like animals.
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析