“Global warming could make humans shorter,” warn scientists who claim to have found evidence that it caused the world's first horses to shrink(收缩) nearly 50 million years ago. In fact, a team from the universities of Florida and Nebraska says it has found a link between the Earth heating up and the size of mammals – horses, in this case.
The scientists used fossils to follow the evolution of horses from their earliest appearance 56 million years ago. As temperature went up，their size went down, and vice versa（反之亦然）;“ At one point they were as small as a house cat,” said Dr Jonathan Bloch, curator（博物馆长） of the Florida Museum of Natural History, which was quoted by the "Daily Mail" as saying.
The scientists say that the current warming could have the same effect on mammals and could even make humans smaller."Horses started out small, about the size of a small dog . What's surprising is that after they first appeared, they then became even smaller and then dramatically increased in size, and that exactly corresponds to the global warming event, followed by cooling”
"It had been known that mammals were small during that time and that it was warm, but we hadn't realized that temperature specifically was driving the evolution of body size," Dr Bloch said in the "Science" journal.How did scientists find out the horses’ earliest appearance millions of years ago?
| A．searching the data on the net |
| B．sorting through the pictures of ancient times |
| C．using fossils to follow the evolution |
| D．analyzing the related images |
What can we infer form the passage?
| A．As temperatures went up, horses dramatically increased in size |
| B．The temperature has no effect on mammals’ evolution |
| C．As temperatures went up, horses’ size went down |
| D．In history, it used to be warm at early times , followed by a certain period of sharply cooling down. |
Which is the most closest meaning to the underlined words most probably mean _______.
| A．react to | B． be contradictory to |
| C．be consistent with | D． differ from |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Global warming is to disappear |
| B．The temperature on earth is to decrease |
| C．Global warming makes human shorter |
| D．Mammals are dying out. |
完形填空，阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A, B, C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
A young businessman was traveling down a narrow street, driving a bit too fast in his new Benz. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and ________ when he thought he saw something.
As his car passed, one child appeared, and a brick smashed into the Benz’s side door. He slammed on the brakes and ________ the Benz back to the spot from ________ the brick had been thrown.
He jumped out of the car, ________ some kid and pushed him up against a parked car, shouting “What was that all about and who are you? Just what on earth are you doing?” ________ a head of steam, he went on “That’s a new car and that brick you threw is gonna cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?” “Please, mister, please, I’m sorry. I didn’t know what else to do!” pleaded the youngster.
“It’s my brother,” he said. “He rolled ________ the stairs and fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t ________ him up.”
________, the boy asked the businessman, “Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me.”
Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the ________ swelling lump in his ________ . He lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the ________ , checking ________ that everything was going to be okay.
“Thank you, sir. And God bless you,” the ________ child said to him. The man then watched the little boy push his brother to the sidewalk toward their home.
It was a long walk back to his Benz...a long, ________ walk. He never did ________ the side door. He kept the damage to remind him not to ________life so fast that someone has to ________ a brick at you to get your attention.
Life whispers in your soul and ________ to your heart. Sometimes, when you don’t have the time to listen...Life throws a brick at your head.
It’s your choice: Listen to the whispers of your soul ________ wait for the brick!
Do you sometimes ignore loved ones because your life is too fast and busy ________ them to wonder whether you really love them?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) says more than half of the world’s wildlife population has been lost, which the conservation group says has placed the health of the planet at risk.
The WWF recently released its 10th Flagship Living Planet Report. The group warns the condition of the world's animals is worse than its earlier reports showed, indicating worldwide action is needed.
The WWF is worried about the loss of and damage to Earth’s environment. The report provides information about more than 10,000 animal populations from 1970 to 2010. These populations are called “vertebrate species,” or animals with backbones — like fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles. The report shows these populations have dropped by 52 percent in just 40 years. It warns freshwater species have fallen by 76 percent, which is almost twice the loss of land and ocean species. Most of these losses are in the tropics, with the biggest drop in Latin America.
Marco Lambertini, the WWF’s International Director-General said, “This is about losing natural habitats. This is about converting forests, grasslands, and wetlands into agriculture mainly, and it is about unsustainable use of wildlife. Illegal hunting has been actually increasing over the last 10 years, which definitely a driving force for extinction, particularly of large species.”
The report also notes what it calls the world’s “Ecological Footprint”, that is, the effect of human activities on the planet. Mr. Lambertini says there has been an increase in carbon dioxide gases and the pouring of nitrogen into oceans and rivers from fertilizers used in agriculture, which certainly cannot continue.
“We are consuming on average every year about the equivalent of about 1.5, one and a half times the resources available to the planet. That means we are cutting trees more quickly than they can be restored. We are fishing the oceans more quickly than fishing stocks can reproduce, and we are emitting in the atmosphere more CO2 than the natural systems can actually absorb, which is clearly not sustainable.”
Mr. Lambertini warns climate change affects almost everyone on the planet and that whole species may disappear if the world does not reduce the effects of humans on the climate.According to the passage, what kind of species faces the biggest drop in population?
| A．Land and ocean species. |
| B．Animals with backbones. |
| C．Freshwater species in Latin America. |
| D．Freshwater species in the tropics. |
All the following can contribute to the loss of world’s wildlife population EXCEPT ________.
| A．turning wildlife habitats into agriculture land. |
| B．making sustainable use of wildlife. |
| C．hunting illegally. |
| D．emitting CO2 gases and pouring nitrogen. |
Which does the underlined word “converting” in paragraph 4 mean?
| A．Conserving. | B．Conveying. |
| C．Exchanging. | D．Transforming. |
It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
| A．Marco is much concerned about human’s current behaviors towards wildlife. |
| B．what the planet provides now can satisfy human’s sustainable development. |
| C．more than half of the world’s wildlife population has been lost. |
| D．if humans reduce the effects on the climate, the whole species will not disappear. |
When computer servers operate a complex program, they can get very hot. Cooling the servers can be costly. So researchers asked what would happen if the heat created by the servers could be captured and used?
Data centers of large Internet companies such as Google and Microsoft have thousands of computer servers. As these servers process information, they create large amounts of heat, so they need huge cooling systems, which send the heat into the air.
The Dutch company Nerdalize thinks paying for electricity to operate the servers and then paying again to cool them is a waste of energy. So it developed a device called the e-Radiator, a computer server that also works as a heating source.
Boaz Leupe, the chief executive officer of Nerdalize, says the e-Radiator saves money because companies don’t have to pay to cool their servers. “…The kilowatt hour you are using is used twice — once to heat the home and once to compute the client’s task without the cooling expenses.”
At present five homeowners in the Netherlands are testing the heating device in their homes.
“We compensate the electricity the server uses, and that we can do because of the computer clients on the other side, and, in that way, homeowners actually get heating for free, and computer users don’t have to pay for the expenses of the data center.”
Jan Visser is one of the participants in the year-long experiment. He notices that the amount of heat produced by the e-Radiator depends on the work being done by the computer server. He reveals it cannot be used as the primary source of heat. But he is ready to try it. “If it provides enough warmth, I will be able to use my home’s heating system less, which will save me money.” he added.
Nerdalize says e-Radiators create heat temperatures of up to 55 degrees Celsius. It’s also said that the devices could save users up to $440 in heating costs a year.What can we learn from this passage?
| A．E-Radiator can save homeowners a big sum of money in cooling the computers. |
| B．Google and Nerdalize developed the heating device, e-Radiator. |
| C．E-Radiator has been put into use in the Netherlands. |
| D．The heating device will benefit computer users as well as homeowners. |
According to the passage, what’s Jan Visser’s attitude towards e-Radiator?
| A．Cautious. | B．Positive. | C．Satisfied. | D．Doubtful. |
Where can we most probably read the passage?
| A．In an economic report. |
| B．In a science magazine. |
| C．In an education newspaper. |
| D．In a computer guide book. |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
| A．Money-saving heating device. |
| B．E-Radiator, the primary source of heat. |
| C．Hot computers could be used to heat home. |
| D．Nerdalize developed e-Radiator, a heating system. |
The government in China plans to end its one-child per family policy and instead let families have two children.
The plan was announced Thursday after high-level political meetings in Beijing. The official Xinhua news agency says the country’s top legislature must approve the proposal before it becomes law.
A Chinese Communist Party statement gave a number of reasons for the change in policy. The statement said the change is meant to balance population development. It said the move also attempts to stop a declining birth rate and strengthen the country’s work force.
China, the world's most populous country, launched the one-child policy in 1980. But the government permitted only a small number of couples to have two children. For example, some rural families were given approval to have two children. A total of 19 rural provinces have a partial two-child policy. That policy states if the first-born is a girl, a second child is permitted.
In 2013, the Chinese government gave other couples a chance to have two children. Families could have two if one parent was an only child.
A teacher and population expert, Jiang Quanbao, explained how Chinese families will react to the policy. “Too many young people in the cities are probably no longer interested in having a second child,”he said. “People in rural farming villages may be more interested. But again, some of them are already allowed to have two children.”
At the end of 2014, China had a population of 1.37 billion people. A total of 800 million of them are employed. But that job market population is expected to drop by 2050. With the two-child policy, an increase in births will ease the labor shortage, starting in 20 years.Which of the following is NOT the reason for the two-child policy?
| A．To ease the present labor shortage. |
| B．To balance population development. |
| C．To strengthen the country’s work force. |
| D．To stop a declining birth rate. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．In the 1980s rural families could have two children if the first-born was a girl. |
| B．Due to the boom in population, by 2050 more young people will become unemployed. |
| C．Chinese government changes its population policy to greet the new situation in social development. |
| D．Few young people in the cities show much interest in the new policy because of financial pressure. |
The writer writes this passage ________.
| A．To educate. | B．To inform. |
| C．To advertise. | D．To analyze. |
Wanted, Someone for FM 90.8
We’re looking for a radio announcer to join us on Anhui Transportation Broadcasting FM 90.8. Broadcasting and hosting major is necessary, along with some experience in radio and music. Please apply in writing to Anhui Radio and TV Station.
Father Christmas
We’re looking for a very special person, preferably over 40, to fill our Father Christmas suit.
Working days: Every Saturday and Sunday from December 11 to December 20 and every day from December 21 to December 25, 14∶30－20∶00.
Excellent pay.
Please contact Yurun Central Square, Changjiang Road.
Accountants Assistant
When you join the team in our Social Security Administration Office, you will be providing assistance within all parts of the Office, dealing with post and other general duties. If you are educated in a 211 University we would like to talk to you. This position is equally suitable for a school leaver or for somebody who has office experience.
Social Security Administration Office
Software Trainer
If you are aged 22-48 and have experience in teaching and training, you could be the person we are looking for. You should be good at the computer and have some experience in programme writing. You will be allowed to make your own decisions, and to design courses as well as present them. Pay upwards of ￥8,000 for the right person. Please apply by sending your CV to Mrs. Huang, Huanghe Computer Training Center.Who should you get in touch with if you hope to work in a radio station?
| A．Yurun Central Square. |
| B．Mrs. Huang, Huanghe Computer Training Center. |
| C．Anhui Radio and TV Station. |
| D．Social Security Administration Office. |
We learn from the ads that Yurun Central Square needs a person who________.
| A．is aged between 22 and 48 |
| B．needs to do some training work |
| C．should deal with general duties |
| D．can work for about a fortnight |
Which position is open to recent school graduates?
| A．Accountants Assistant. | B．Father Christmas. |
| C．Radio announcer. | D．Software Trainer. |
What kind of person would probably apply to Huanghe Computer Training Center?
| A．One graduating from a 211 university. |
| B．One with some office experience. |
| C．One having good computer knowledge. |
| D．One with experience in radio and music. |