Last night’s meteor(流星) shower left many people in the community dissatisfied and demanding answers. According to Gabe Rothsclild, Emerald Valley’s mayor, people gathered in the suburbs of the city, carrying heavy telescopes, expecting to watch the brightly burning meteors passing through the sky. What they found instead was a sky so brightened by the city’s lights that it darkened the light of the meteors passing overhead.
“My family was so frustrated,” admitted town resident Duane Cosby, “We wanted to make this an unforgettable family outing, but it turned out to be a huge disappointment. ”
Astronomers—scientists who study stars and planets—-have been complaining about this problem for decades. They say that light pollution prevents them from seeing objects in the sky that they could see quite easily in the past. They call on people and the government to take measures to fight against it.
There is yet a population besides professional and amateur star observers that suffers even more from light pollution. This population consists of birds, bats frogs, snakes, etc. For example, outdoor lighting severely affects migrating(迁徙的)birds. According to the International Dark-Sky Association. “100 million birds a year throughout North America die in crashes with lighted buildings and towers. ”
Countless more animals casualties(伤亡）result from the use of artificial lighting. Clearly, people enjoy the benefits of lighting their evenings, but some scientists think it can be harmful for humans, too. They worry that exposure to light while sleeping can increase person’s chances of getting cancer.
Emerald Valley is only one community that is becoming aware of the negative effects of light pollution. For years, Flagstaff,Arizona,has enforced lighting regulations in its city in order to assist astronomers at the Lowell Observatory. Similar efforts have been made worldwide, and a movement is underway to remind us to turn off lights when we are not using them, so that other creatures can share the night. What is the author concerned about according to Paragraph 4?
| A．Birds may take other migration paths |
| B．Animals’ living habits may change suddenly |
| C．Varieties of animals will become sharply reduced |
| D．Animals’ survival is threatened by outdoor lighting |
Lighting regulations in Flagstaff, Arizona are put into effect to
| A．Lessen the chance of getting cancer |
| B．create an ideal observation condition |
| C．ensure citizens a good sleep at night |
| D．enable all creatures to live in harmony |
What message does the author most want to give us?
| A．Saving wildlife is saving ourselves |
| B．Great efforts should be made to save energy |
| C．Human activities should be environmentally friendly |
| D．New equipment should be introduced for space study |
What do working mothers worry about the most? It's the kids of course. Whatever the setting, the question I get asked the most is "Will the kids be alright?" It has made me realize that we tend to look at the glass half-empty rather than half-filled when it comes to mixing work and family. We forget about all the benefits that we bring to our children when we work - and I'm not talking about the obvious financial benefits, although these of course shouldn't be taken for granted.
About a year ago I remember getting a call from the school just as I was pulling up to the house after having driven 20 minutes to the school and 20 minutes back. "Mrs. Brown Quinn, your son asked us to call. He forgot his sports clothes. Can you come back to the school and drop them off?" I was exasperated(恼火)! I had already spent 40 minutes in aggressive weekday morning traffic. I replied, "Sorry, I'm working at the moment. I'm afraid my son needs to learn to be organized."
Being a good parent requires delivering tough love sometimes. Kids need to learn to be independent. It can be a cruel and competitive world out there. Seeking interests, including business, outside of your kids, can give you that extra idea that you need not care for your kids with attention. This benefit of working isn't always immediately evident.
It wasn't until our daughter went away to college that she realized why we had raised her in the way that we did. "Mom, I can't believe how so many of my friends struggle to manage things on their own. They are constantly calling their parents for help." You'll love that moment! After all those years of complaining about why you don't do this or why you don't give them that, your kids realize that tough love has made them better people.The purpose of the author is to ______.
| A．describe her own experience in raising children |
| B．advise us to mix work and family |
| C．throw light on a special benefit of working |
| D．argue for working mothers |
How can kids become better people according to the author?
| A．By showing them your deep love. |
| B．By giving them all your attention. |
| C．By giving them tough love. |
| D．By giving them freedom to do things on their own. |
The daughter's attitude towards the author is ______ when she grows up.
| A．understanding | B．caring |
| C．disappointed | D．surprised |
The author refused to drop off her son's sports clothes because ______.
| A．she wanted her son to be organized |
| B．she was caught in heavy traffic |
| C．she thought her son was lying |
| D．she was busy working |
Technology is making life easier for some dairy farmers. They use robotic systems to milk their cows. Cows are trained to follow a series of paths that lead to milking stations. Only one cow at a time can enter a station.
Once inside，the cow is rewarded with food. As the cow eats，a robotic arm cleans and connects the animal to the milking machine. A few minutes later，milking is complete. The gate is opened，the cow is released and the next cow enters.
The robotic systems are designed to operate 24 hours a day. The cows get to decide when they want to be milked. Cows are milked an average of about three times a day. Some are milked four to six times a day.
The cows wear collars around their necks that identify them to the system. A computer keeps records on their eating and milking. A cow is released from the station if the computer decides it should not be milked.
The automated system also measures the temperature and color of freshly produced milk. Milk is thrown away if it does not pass the tests.
Professor Plaut believes the systems will appeal especially to the next generation of farmers. She means young people who are more interested in technology and less interested in working all the time on the farm. Still，she says the price of robotic milking systems will continue to limit their use.
Doug and Tina Suhr have more than 100 cows on their family farm. Last year it became the fourth farm in southeast Minnesota to get a robotic milking system. A recent story in a local agricultural newspaper said the first robot costs 175,000 dollars. The second costs 150,000 dollars.
Doug told AgriNews that wages that would have been paid for one employee in five years will pay for one robot. He says the increase in milk production reaches a high of more than six kilograms per cow per day.According to Doug，what is the wage of an employee per year?
| A．$150,000～$175,000. | B．$150,000～$30,000. |
| C．$30,000～$35,000. | D．over $75,000. |
Besides milking cows，the robotic system also can ________.
| A．judge the quality of fresh milk |
| B．keep fresh milk for two weeks |
| C．adjust the temperature of milking stations |
| D．improve the appetite of cows |
Why is the robotic system not popular now?
| A．Because it usually causes the waste of milk. |
| B．Because it is difficult to learn how to use it. |
| C．Because young people have no interest in it. |
| D．Because people can't afford to buy it. |
From the first paragraph，we can infer ________.
| A．cows can be raised by robots in the future |
| B．robots direct cows into milking stations |
| C．the robotic system is designed to reduce labor |
| D．cows are kept clean by robots on some farms |
I always experienced guilt when I passed by without giving a coin or two to a beggar.
My conscience was pricked again on a tour of Venice in 2010. I had taken refuge from the crowds in a quiet canal-side café. Outside the café was an old woman kneeling on the ancient cobbled stones, begging. Steady streams of tourists were walking past her. A lone young back-packer stood away from the crowds drinking something, but I noticed he was also observing the woman.
A tourist group glanced at the woman and walked on. Another group of tourists arrived and, again, walked past her. The backpacker watched. Then, as I prepared to leave, I stopped at the sight of the backpacker stepping forward and placing some money in the woman’s cup. He did this rather ostentatiously（炫耀地）, just before the arrival of another tourist group. I watched as the leader of the group stopped and put some money in the cup. Having been shown the way, other tourists followed suit and added more coins to the woman’s cup.
The young backpacker repeated this process in front of the next tour party going past. Once again, the subtle peer （同伴）pressure worked on the tourists, who all added coins to the cup. His work done, the young man walked over to the old beggar woman, patted her shoulder and said, “I hope that helps a bit.”
I don’t know if the woman understood his English or realized what had just happened, but I did. I placed some money in the woman’s cup and continued my travels, light-hearted after witnessing such an act of caring.The backpacker placed some money in the woman’s cup rather ostentatiously because______.
| A．he wanted to stop the tourists by doing this |
| B．he wanted people to know that he was rich and kind |
| C．he wanted to help the woman by himself |
| D．he wanted the tourist group to follow him |
The author went to a quiet canal-side cafe to_______ .
| A．avoid meeting the beggar |
| B．get away from the crowds |
| C．take a rest |
| D．watch the woman beggar |
We can infer from the passage that ________ .
| A．tourists can be cheated by beggars |
| B．people usually have pity on an old beggar |
| C．tourists are willing to help beggars |
| D．people can do kind acts due to peer pressure |
Before the backpacker dropped some money in the woman’s cup, the tourists ______ .
| A．all showed pity for the woman |
| B．didn’t notice the woman |
| C．walked by without giving any money |
| D．gave a little money to the woman |
Elizabeth Freeman was born about 1742 to African American parents who were slaves. At the age of six months she was acquired, along with her sister, by John Ashley, a wealthy Massachusetts slaveholders. She became known as “Mumbet” or “Mum Bett.”
For nearly 30 years Mumbet served the Ashley family. One day, Ashley’s wife tried to hit Mumbet’s sister with a spade(铁锹). Mumbet protected her sister and took the blow instead. Angry, she left the house and refused to come back. When the Ashleys tried to make her return, Mumbet turned to a lawyer, Theodore Sedgewick. With his help, Mumbet sued(起诉) for her freedom.
While serving the Ashleys, Mumbet had listened to many discussions of the new Massachusetts laws. If the laws said that all people were free and equal, then she thought it should apply to her. Eventually, Mumbet won her freedom—the first slave in Massachusetts to do so under the new law.
Strangely enough, after the trial, the Ashleys asked Mumbet to come back and work for them as a paid employee. She refused and instead went to work for Segdewick. Mumbet died in 1829, but her spirit lived on in her many generations. One of her great-grandchildren was W.E.B. Du Bois, one of the founder of the NAACP, and an important writer and spokesperson for African American civil rights.
Mumbet’s tombstone still stands in the Massachusetts cemetery where she was buried. It reads, in part: “She was born a slave and remained a slave for nearly thirty years. She could neither read nor write, yet in her own area she had no superior or equal.”What do we know about Mumbet according to Paragraph 1?
| A．She was born into a rich family. |
| B．She was a slaveholder. |
| C．She was born a slave. |
| D．She had a famous sister. |
What did Mumbet do after the trial?
| A．She founded the NAACP. |
| B．She went to live with her grandchildren. |
| C．She continued to serve the Ashleys. |
| D．She chose to work for a lawyer. |
What did Mumbet learn from discussions about the new constitution?
| A．How to be a good servant. |
| B．How to apply for a job. |
| C．She should always obey her owners’ orders. |
| D．She should be as free and equal as whites. |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．A trial that shocked the whole world. |
| B．The life of a brave African American woman. |
| C．A story of a famous writer and spokesperson. |
| D．The friendship between a lawyer and a slave. |
Newborns begin to develop language skills long before they begin speaking. And, compared to adults, they develop these skills more quickly. People have a hard time learning new languages as they grow older, but babies have the ability to learn any language easily.
For a long time, scientists have tried to explain how such young children can learn the complicated grammatical rules and sounds of a language. Now, researchers are getting a better idea of what’s happening in the brains of the tiniest language learners. This new information might help kids with learning problems as well as adults who want to learn new languages. It might even help scientists who are trying to design computers that can communicate like people do.
Most babies go “ma ma” by 6 months of age, and most children speak in full sentences by age 3. For many years, scientists have wondered how the brains of young children figure out how to communicate using language. With help from new technologies, scientists are now finding that babies begin life with the ability to learn any language. They get into contact with other people, listen to what they say and watch their movements very closely. That is why they quickly master the languages they hear most often.
Studies show that, up to about 6 months of age, babies can recognize all the sounds that make up all the languages in the world. Starting at around 6 months old a baby’s brain focuses on the most common sounds it hears. Then, children begin responding only to the sounds of the language they hear the most.
In a similar way older babies start recognizing the patterns that make up the rules of their native language. For example, English children who are about 18 months old start to figure out that words ending in “-ing” or “-ed” are usually verbs, and that verbs are action words.The new research in the second paragraph can be helpful in _____.
| A．finding successful language learners |
| B．teaching kids with learning problems |
| C．designing human-shaped computers |
| D．improving babies’ language ability |
The researchers found out that babies learn a language mainly by _____.
| A．repeating the words of other people |
| B．remembering the full sentences they hear |
| C．hearing and closely watching others speak |
| D．figuring out the meaning of different sounds |
The purpose of the text is to _____.
| A．discuss | B．educate |
| C．inform | D．Entertain |