The vast jungles of the Amazon rainforest are home to tribes (部落) mostly isolated from the outside world, whose way of life, largely unchanged for hundreds of years, is now increasingly threatened by modern civilization.
Now, scientists discover they can monitor these “uncontacted tribes” using satellites, which would allow inexpensive and safe tracking of these tribes in order to protect them from outside threats.
In order to help preserve these uncontacted Indians, researchers need accurate estimates of their populations. One way to collect this data involves flying over their villages, but such over-flights are both expensive and could fill these native peoples with fear. Another strategy involves meeting individuals on the ground, but among other risks, scientists could accidentally spread disease to members of the tribes.
Instead, scientists investigated whether satellite images could monitor uncontacted tribes. The result was inspiring. They confirmed their locations and measured the sizes of their village, houses and gardens. “We can find isolated villages with remote sensing and study them over time.” Walker told Live Science. “We can ask: Are they growing? Do they move?”
Surprisingly, based on the sizes of the houses and villages, the scientists find the population densities of these isolated villages are about 10 times greater, on average, than other villages of native Brazilian peoples. This may be due to the fact that they have to live closer together because they are not as good at clearing the forest, since they lack modern devices like chainsaws and tractors, the researchers said. The tribes may also be afraid of spreading out due to fear of being attacked by outsiders, Walker said.
The researchers now plan to focus on 29 more isolated villages to “look at their ecology— that is, distance from rivers and roads—and use this to model where else we can find more isolated villages,” Walker said.Scientists don’t want to meet the Indians on the ground due to the fear that ______.
| A．they can’t get accurate data |
| B．they could pass disease to the Indians |
| C．they will be attacked by the Indians |
| D．they will catch disease from the Indians |
According to the passage, which of the following about the Indian tribes is NOT true?
| A．They lack modern tools to cut forests. |
| B．Their life styles remain unchanged. |
| C．They live closer together for defense. |
| D．They are contacting the outside world. |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．More isolated tribes are yet to be discovered. |
| B．Scientists are able to find 29 Amazon tribes in total. |
| C．It’s easy for scientists to find isolated villages. |
| D．More roads should be built for the tribes. |
Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
| A．The Disappearing of the Ancient Amazon Tribes. |
| B．Discovery of Indian Tribes in Remote Mountains. |
| C．The Threatening of Modern Civilization to Tribes. |
| D．Research of Isolated Tribes with Modern Devices. |
Many of our favorite travel destinations are in danger of being changed badly by increased temperatures and rising seas. The following are some of the places that may be in danger and some that are already experiencing the effects of global warming.
The Everglades, Florida: Perhaps no region of the country is as unprotected to climate change as Florida. Even a slight increase in temperature and water level could devastate popular destinations like the Everglades, Miami Beach and the Keys.
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef: One of the most impressive natural habitats in the world, the Great Barrier Reef could be killed by increased water temperatures and the resulting coral bleaching (漂白法). Australia is particularly easily damaged by global warming because of its large number of fragile (脆弱的) ecosystems, uncertain water sources and a large group of people gathering on the coast.
Dalian, China: Fast-growing China, shown here during a heat wave last year, is opening about one coal factory every day this year. Along with the U.S., China is one of the world's leading contributors to the greenhouse gases , which can lead to the increase in the Earth's temperature.
Venice, Italy: No stranger to flooding, Venice has invested $4.5 billion in a floodgate system that is due to open in 2012. But the frequent changing ocean levels have made people question the floodgates' ability to hold out the rising waters.
London, England: Designed to protect London from storms and extremely high tides, the Thames Barrier was opened in 1984. Some analysts fear that rising oceans will create conditions beyond the capabilities the barrier was designed to meet.The word “devastate” in paragraph 2 means “_____________”.
| A．protect | B．destroy | C．swallow | D．enlarge |
What can endanger Great Barrier Reef directly?
| A．Fragile ecosystem |
| B．Uncertain water sources. |
| C．The large group of people. |
| D．Increased water temperatures and the coral bleaching |
The underlined sentence means “____________”.
| A．flooding is common in Venice |
| B．everyone is familiar with flooding |
| C．it is strange for Venice to experience flooding |
| D．there is no flooding in Venice |
The subject discussed in the text is that ____________.
| A．the dangerous destinations |
| B．the most popular destinations |
| C．the fascinating destinations |
| D．the endangered destinations |
Last summer, when Amanda R of Anaheim Hills, California, was running on a cross-country course with her team, she blacked out. “I got really dizzy,” she says. “I was out for a few minutes.” At first, Amanda thought she was just tired and didn’t think she had a health problem. She did go to the emergency room, where she was fine after tests, but she fainted (昏厥) again several days later as she was talking with her coach. Another doctor guessed that Amanda had blacked out “because we were in heat so much with not enough water and not enough of the right kind of foods”.
Teens often don’t want to stop and take a break or don’t notice when they start to feel bad, doctors say. However, paying attention if you’re not feeling well is important, as Amanda learned.
As a result, Amanda has changed her habits. “I drink a lot more water,” she says. “And put more salt in my diet. I’m eating more balanced meals.” Amanda advises teen athletes to trust their coaches and speak up when they’re not feeling well. “And recognize the difference between when you’re tired and when there’s something really wrong.”
Some people － up to 3 percent of the population － sweat too much, even in cold weather. The condition, called hyperhidrosis (多汗), can affect many parts and it often runs in families － hands down from generation to generation. Too much sweating over the whole body could be a symptom of another medical condition. Doctors aren’t sure what causes hyperhidrosis, but using special medications or other treatments can help.What caused the happening mentioned in the passage during Amanda’s running?
| A．She couldn’t breathe in enough air in the race. |
| B．She didn’t eat anything before the race. |
| C．She had been running all summer without a rest. |
| D．She neither drank enough water nor ate enough of the right kind of foods. |
What can we infer from Paragraph 4?
| A．There is no need to worry when sweating too much, even in cold weather. |
| B．Hyperhidrosis may have a bad effect on your health. |
| C．Doctors have discovered why people get hyperhidrosis. |
| D．Hyperhidrosis is a serious disease and no treatment can help. |
The purpose of writing this passage is to____________.
| A．tell teens the proper ways to take exercise in summer. |
| B．tell teens not to run in hot summer. |
| C．tell teens to pay attention to hyperhidrosis in the summer exercise |
| D．tell teens how to keep healthy. |
A man who failed to return more than 700 children’s books to five different libraries in the county was put into prison. Yesterday he was set free after a book publisher agreed to post his bond (担保金) of $1,000. The publisher said, “There’s a story here. This is a man who loves books. He just can’t let go of them. He hasn’t stolen a single book. So what’s the crime? We think that Mr. Brush has a story to tell. We plan to publish his story.”
When asked why he didn’t return the books, Mr. Brush said, “Well, how could I? They became family to me. I was afraid to return them, because I knew that kids or dogs would get hold of these books and chew them up, throw them around, rip the pages, spill soda on them, get jam and jelly on them, and drown them in the toilet.”
He continued, “Books are people, too! They talk to you, they take care of you, and they enrich you with wisdom and humor and love. A book is my guest in my home. How could I kick it out? I repaired torn pages. I dusted them with a soft clean cloth. I turned their pages so they could breathe and get some fresh air.
“Every week I reorganized them on their shelves so they could meet new friends. My books were HAPPY books. You could tell just by looking at them. Now they’re all back in the library, on the lower shelves, on the floors, at the mercy of all those runny-nosed kids. I can hear them calling me! I need to rescue them. Excuse me. I have to go now.”Why was the man put into prison?
| A．Because the book publisher persuaded the police to do so. |
| B．Because he stole 700 children's books from the five different libraries. |
| C．Because he refused to return the books that he had borrowed. |
| D．Because he wanted to publish his story. |
How did the man treat books?
| A．He treated them as real people. |
| B．He treated them as his own children. |
| C．He treated them as his furniture. |
| D．He treated them as his job. |
From the passage we can learn that the man is _____.
| A．a thief | B．crazy about books | C．a writer | D．unfortunate |
What might happen after the man was set free?
| A．He might stop borrowing books. |
| B．He might start a library of his own. |
| C．He might return all his books |
| D．He might go on borrowing books from libraries. |
A shopkeeper sent his son to learn about the secret of happiness from the wisest man in the world. The boy walked a long way, and finally came upon a beautiful castle where the wise man lived.
Rather than finding a holy man, though, our hero, on entering the main room of the castle, saw a hive of activity: tradesmen came and went, people were chatting in the corners and a small orchestra was playing soft music. The wise man talked with everyone, and the boy had to wait for two hours before it was his turn.
The wise man listened carefully to the boy’s explanation of why he had come, but told him that he didn’t have time just then to explain the secret of happiness. He suggested the boy look around the palace and return in two hours.
“Meanwhile, I want to ask you to do something,” said the wise man, handing the boy a teaspoon that held two drops of oil. “As you wander around, carry this spoon with you without allowing the oil to spill”.
The boy began to walk up and down stairs in the palace, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. After two hours, he returned.
“Well,” asked the wise man, “Did you see the Persian tapestries (波斯织锦) hanging in my dining hall? Did you see the garden that it took the master gardener 10 years to create?”
The boy was embarrassed, and replied that he had observed nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil.
“Then go back and observe the wonderful things of my world,” said the wise man.
Then the boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace, this time observing all of the works of art on the ceilings and the walls. He saw the gardens and the mountains all around him. When he returned, he described in detail everything he had seen.
“But where are the drops of oil I gave to you?” asked the wise man. Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone.
“Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you,” said the wise man. “The secret of happiness is to see all the wonders of the world and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.” When the shopkeeper’s son arrived at the castle, he ______.
| A．received warm welcome from the wise man |
| B．didn’t expect to see so many people around |
| C．was shown around the palace by the local people |
| D．had already missed his chance to talk to the wise man |
The wise man gave the boy two tasks in order to ______.
| A．let the boy enjoy his palace and garden |
| B．show him how to observe the wonderful things in the world |
| C．make him learn from his mistakes |
| D．teach him the secret of happiness |
We can infer from the article that “the drops of oil on the spoon” probably refer to ______.
| A．the beauty of nature |
| B．the fortune a person owns |
| C．the responsibilities of a person |
| D．the great opportunities in life |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?
| A．The wise man was satisfied with the way the boy performed the second task |
| B．It took the wise man about 10 years to finish his garden. |
| C．The wise man wasn’t paying much attention to the boy at first. |
| D．The boy took no notice of the surroundings during his first task. |
You may not pay much attention to your daily elevator ride. Many of us use a lift several times during the day without really thinking about it. But Lee Gray, PhD, of the University of North Carolina, US, has made it his business to examine this unnoticed form of public transport. He is known as the “Elevator Guy”.
“The lift becomes this interesting social space where behaviors are sort of odd (奇怪的),” Gray told the BBC. “They (elevators) are socially very interesting but often very awkward places.”
We walk in and usually turn around to face the door. If someone else comes in, we may have to move. And here, according to Gray, liftusers unthinkingly go through a set pattern of movements. He told the BBC what he had observed.
He explained that when you are the only one inside a lift, you can do whatever you want – it’s your own little box.
If there are two of you, you go into different corners, standing diagonally (对角线地) across from each other to create distance.
When a third person enters, you will unconsciously form a triangle. And when there is a fourth person it becomes a square, with someone in every corner. A fifth person is probably going to have to stand in the middle.
Newcomers to the lift will need to size up the situation when the doors slide open and then act decisively. Once in, for most people the rule is simple – look down, or look at your phone.
Why are we so awkward in lifts?
“You don’t have enough space,” Professor Babette Renneberg, a clinical psychologist at the Free University of Berlin, told the BBC. “Usually when we meet other people we have about an arm’s length of distance between us. And that’s not possible in most elevators.”
In such a small, enclosed space it becomes very important to act in a way that cannot be understood as threatening or odd. “The easiest way to do this is to avoid eye contact,” she said.The main purpose of the article is to _____.
| A．remind us to enjoy ourselves in the elevator |
| B．analyze what makes people feel awkward in an elevator |
| C．share an interesting but awkward elevator ride |
| D．tell us some unwritten rules of elevator behaviors |
Which of the following describes how people usually stand when there are at least two people in an elevator?
The underlined phrase “size up” in Paragraph 7 is closest in meaning to _____.
| A．ignore | B．judge | C．put up with | D．make use of |
According to the article, people feel awkward in lifts because of _____.
| A．the lack of space |
| B．someone’s strange behaviors |
| C．their unfamiliarity with one another |
| D．their eye contact with one another |
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