Tiny transmitters(发射机) fixed on the backs of the blue-green bees have allowed scientists to follow the insects as they fly for miles in search of rare flowers.
Working in Panama, scientists caught 17 bees of the common species and fixed a 300 milligram radio light onto the back of each. The signals they sent out were used to follow their movements in and around the forest where they lived.
Professor Martin, from Princeton University, US, and the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Germany, said, “By following the radio signals, we discovered that male bees spent most of their time in small centre areas, but could take off and visit areas farther away. One male even crossed over the shipping lanes in the Panama Canal, flying at least 5km, and returned a few days later.”
Researchers have struggled to follow the movements of bees before, following bees marked with paint or using radar which doesn’t work well in forests.
“Carrying the transmitter could reduce the distance that the bees travel, but even if the flight distances we record are the shortest distances that these bees can fly, they are impressive, long-distance movements,” said Dr. Roland Kays, from New York State Museum, a co-author of the research published today in the on-line journal. “This result helps to explain how these bees’ pollination(授粉) can be so rare.” Pollination by bees and other insects is the key to the diversity and continued growth of flowers and trees in some forests.
The new study is the first to use radio transmitters to follow bees in a forest. Similar research may now be carried in temperate forests, where bees also play a vital role.The main purpose of the passage is to___
| A．call on people to protect the bees for the environment |
| B．explain why the bees fly far away in search of flowers |
| C．introduce a modern way to follow the bees to readers |
| D．encourage the public to support the scientists’ research |
What was the problem when researchers tried to follow the bees in the past?
| A．It was quite difficult to mark the bees |
| B．The radar itself didn’t work very well |
| C．The bees weren’t easy to be recognized |
| D．Environmental limits were hard to solve |
What Dr. Roland Kays said implied that____
| A．he didn’t expect bees could fly so long a distance |
| B．The transmitter didn’t have any effects on bees at all |
| C．He wanted to know how far bees could travel badly |
| D．The record was in fact as exact as he had thought |
Researchers follow the movements of bees mainly to___
| A．learn how far they can fly at most |
| B．discover how they affect the plants |
| C．correct some wrong ideas about bees |
| D．get to know where they enjoy living |
Close your eyes for a minute and imagine what life would be like if you had a hundred dollars less. Also imagine what it would be like spending the rest of your life with you eyes closed. Imagine having to read this page, not with your eyes but with your fingertips.
With existing medical knowledge and skills, two-thirds of the world’s 42 million blind should not have to suffer. Unfortunately, rich countries posses most of this knowledge, while developing countries do not.
ORBIS is an international non-profit organization which operates the world’s only flying teaching eye hospital. ORBIS intends to help fight blindness worldwide. Inside a DC-8 aircraft, there is a fully-equipped teaching hospital with television studio and classroom. Doctors are taught the latest techniques of bringing sight back to people there. Project ORBIS also aims at promoting peaceful cooperation among countries.
ORBIS tries to help developing countries by providing training during three-week medical programs. ORBIS has taught sight-saving techniques to over 35,000 doctors and nurses, who continue to cure tens of thousands of blind people every year. ORBIS has conducted 17 plane programs in China so far. For the seven to ten million blind in China, ORBIS is planning to do more for them. At the moment an ORBIS is working on a long-term plan to develop a training center and to provide eye care service to Shanxi Province. ORBIS needs your help to continue their work and free people from blindness.
For just US$38,you can help one person see; for $380 you can bring sight to 10 people; $1,300 helps teach a doctor new skills; and for $13,000 you can provide a training program for a group of doctors who can make thousands of blind people see again. Your money can open their eyes to the world. Please help ORBIS improve the quality of life for so many people less fortunate than ourselves.The first paragraph is intended to ______.
| A．introduce a new way of reading |
| B．advise the public to lead a simple life |
| C．direct the public’s attention to the blind |
| D．encourage the public to use imagination |
What do we learn about existing medical knowledge and skills in the world?
| A．They are enough. |
| B．They are not equally distributed(分布，分配). |
| C．They have not been updated. |
| D．They have benefited most of the blind. |
ORRIS aims to help the blind by ______.
| A．teaching medical students |
| B．training doctors and nurses |
| C．running flying hospitals globally |
| D．setting up non-profit organization |
What can be the best title for the passage?
| A．ORRIS in China | B．Fighting Blindness |
| C．Sight-seeing Techniques | D．ORRIS Flying Hospital |
Many of us enjoy doing it: you turn on the camera on your mobile phone and hold it at a high angle--- making your eyes look bigger and your cheekbones more defined. You turn to your best side and click.
There it is - your selfie.
Over the past year, "selfie" has become a well-known term across the globe. This August the Oxford dictionary added the word to their online dictionary and define it as: "A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website."
Today it's not difficult to find social networking pages full of photos people have taken of themselves and their friends. And selfie culture has become especially relevant for young people. As many as 91 percent of teenagers have posted photos of themselves online, according to a recent survey by the US Pew Research Center.
So what are the reasons for the rise of selfie culture?
"The craziness about the selfie celebrates regular people," Pamela Rutledge, a professor at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, told Vogue magazine. "There are many more photographs available now of real people than models."
Posting selfies also allows you to control your image online. "I like having the power to choose how I look, even if I'm making a funny face:' Samantha Barks, 19, a high school student in the US, told Vogue.
In addition to self-expression and documentation (记录), selfies "allow for a close friendship for long-distance friends, because you can see each other's faces every day", wrote Casey Miller at The Huffington Post.
But US psychologist Jill Weber is concerned that selfies might lead to social problems. "There's a danger that your self-esteem (自尊心) may start to be tied to the comments and '1ikes' you get when you post a selfie, and they aren't based on who you are - they're based on what you look like," Weber told Vogue. "When you get nothing or a negative response, your confidence can decrease."Why does the writer mention the fact that "selfie" was added to an online dictionary?
| A．To inform readers where to find the meaning of the word. |
| B．To recommend the dictionary to readers. |
| C．To show that the online dictionary is widely used. |
| D．To indicate that the word has become very popular. |
According to the passage, "selfie" mainly involves _______.
| A．young people | B．models | C．students | D．celebrities |
How many reasons are mentioned for the rise of selfie?
| A．2. | B．3. | C．4. | D．5. |
Many people post photos of themselves online to _________.
| A．make fun of themselves | B．become powerful |
| C．beautify themselves | D．choose how they look |
In Jill Weber's opinion, selfies may cause one to _________.
| A．be cheated | B．feel discouraged |
| C．lose money | D．succeed more easily |
If you really want to go green, here’s good news: eating green is good for you. The very foods with a high carbon cost---meat, pork, dairy products, processed snacks---also tend to be filled with fat and calories. A green diet would be mostly vegetables and fruits, whole grains, fish and lean meats like chicken---a diet that’s eco- and waistline-friendly. Eating green can be healthier and beneficial to the climate.
It may be hard to believe that a meal at McDonald’s produces more carbon than your trip to a far away place. More than 37% of the world’s land is used for agriculture, much of which was once forested. Deforestation (砍伐森林) is a major source of carbon. The fertilizer (化肥) and machinery needed on a modern farm also have a large carbon footprint, as does the network of ships and trucks that brings the food from the farm to your plate.
The most efficient way to reduce the carbon footprint of your menu is to eat less meat, especially beef. Raising cattle takes a lot more energy than growing the equivalent (相等的) amount of grains, fruits or vegetables. What’s more, the majority of cattle in the U.S. are fed on grain and loads of it---670 million tons in 2002---and the fertilizer used to feed that creates separate environmental problems.
Focus on eating lower on the food chain, with more plants and fruits and less meat and dairy. It’s simple. We can change today what goes into our bodies for the health of our planet and ourselves.According to the passage, eating green will_____.
| A．protect the animals from being killed |
| B．promote the development of agriculture |
| C．help us lose weight and keep self-confidence |
| D．be good for our health and make a change for the climate |
What will not lead to carbon in the agriculture?
| A．Deforestation | B．Fertilizer |
| C．Machinery | D．Grains |
In the author’s opinion, the most efficient way to reduce carbon is to_____.
| A．eat more vegetables than meat |
| B．stop raising the cattle |
| C．plant more grains |
| D．use less fertilizer |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The benefits of eating green. |
| B．How to reduce the carbon. |
| C．The change of our menu. |
| D．The ways of keeping healthy. |
Cultural events that take place in Edinburgh during August draw most people’s attention, but plenty of other festivals can also entertain you throughout the rest of the year.
Ceilidh Culture Festival
Where: various places
When: Date late Mar/early Apr
Tel & website: 228 1155, www.ceilidhculrure.co.uk
Backed by the local authorities, this is a community-focused celebration of traditional Scottish music, dance, song and storytelling. City-wide over a period of nearly four weeks, prices are different for different events.
Beltane Fire Festival
Where: Calton Hill, Calton Hill & Broughton
When: 30 Apr
Website: www. beltane.org
An ancient tradition marking the transition (转变) from winter to spring, the Beltane fire festival was revived (恢复) in the 1980s and has grown into quite a drama: fire, costume, body-paint, dancing and drumming. If the weather holds, it can attract up to 12,000 people. Tickets cost around ￡5 in advance from the Hub; a limited number are available for ￡7 on the night.
Doors Open Day
Where: various places
When: weekend, late Sept
Tel & Website: 557 8686, www.cockburnassociation.org.uk
Each year, heritage (遗产) body the Cockburn Association works with organizations and individuals (个人) to allow public access to buildings that few people usually get to see---everything from private homes to lighthouses. It’s all free.
Capital Christmas
Where: various places
When: late Nov till early Jan
Website: www.edinburghschristmas.com
What started out as a few accidental events has grown into a large, popular, city-wide festival. The main part is the Winter Wonderland in Princes Street Gardens, including fairground (露天市场) rides, crafts market, a skating rink (溜冰场) and the Edinburgh Wheel (a Ferris wheel next to the Scott Monument).If you want to find out more about the Ceilidh Cultural Festival, you can visit_____ .
| A．www. ceilidhculrure.co.uk |
| B．www.cockburnassociation.org.uk |
| C．www.edinburghschristmas.com |
| D．www. beltane.org |
Why do people celebrate the Beltane Fire Festival?
| A．To celebrate traditional Scottish music. |
| B．To exhibit ancient architecture. |
| C．To celebrate the transition from winter to spring |
| D．To celebrate the invention of fire. |
Doors Open Day may be on______ .
| A．a Monday in late September |
| B．a Saturday in late September |
| C．a Saturday in late November |
| D．a Monday in late November |
Once upon a time there were two smart boys. Their talents were obvious from an early age. They knew they were special, and they desired that, in the future, everyone would admit how great they were.
They developed in a different way. The first boy had a successful career. He took part in all kinds of competitions, visited the most important people and places. No one doubted that he would be the wisest and most important person in the land.
The second boy always felt a heavy responsibility. He would feel obliged to help others. This didn’t leave him enough time to follow his dreams of greatness. He was busy looking for ways to help others. As a result, he was a much-loved and well-known person in his small circle.
A disaster took place, spreading misery (痛苦) there. The first man had never come across anything like this, and he failed to improve the situation. The second man was used to solving all kinds of problems, and had such useful know-how in certain subjects. So the disaster hardly affected the people at all. His methods were adopted there, and the name of this man spread even wider. Indeed, he was elected the governor of the nation.
The first man understood the greatest wisdom is from the things we do in life, from the impact (影响) we have on others, and from the need to improve ourselves. He never again took part in competitions. Instead, he always took books with him to be ready to help others.The passage is mainly developed by ______.
| A．following the space order. | B．making comparisons |
| C．giving examples | D．explaining the reason |
The underlined word “obliged”, in the third paragraph, means “______”.
| A．responsible | B．necessary |
| C．worried | D．comfortable |
What can we learn about the two young men?
| A．Both of them tried hard to deal with the disaster. |
| B．The second man wanted to have a successful career. |
| C．The second man wanted to take part in competitions. |
| D．The first man was a much-loved and well-known person in the land. |
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