相关试卷

What would you think if someone suggested pulling down Big Ben to make way for a car park? It would be ridiculous, right? But when it comes to devastation (毁灭) of the natural world, we aren't so easily shocked. But we should be. . . or we'll be in a lot of trouble.

Nature is shrinking by the day. Ancient forests are destroyed. Wetlands are becoming dry. Woodland is disappearing. And all in the name of progress. This is bad in itself, but it's devastating for biodiversity.

Biodiversity refers to the variety of plants, animals and other living things which are all inter-connected. The ecological services provided by biodiversity are vital to everyday life. The air we breathe is a product of photosynthesis (光合作用) by green plants. In fact, all life on earth exists thanks to the benefit of biodiversity. More than 90 percent of the calories consumed by people worldwide are produced from 80 plant species. And 30 percent of medicines are developed from plants and animals. Maintaining a wide diversity of species in each ecosystem is necessary to preserve all living things. 

The loss of biodiversity could be devastating. "It is wrong to think that biodiversity can be reduced indefinitely without threatening humans," said Harvard University biologist Edward O. Wilson, known as "the father of biodiversity". He warned, "we are about to reach a critical point beyond which biodiversity loss will be unavoidable. "

But what can we do? The problem is that the concept of biodiversity is so vague. People might care about giant pandas, but it is much harder to excite them about the fate of tiny sea creatures which are being boiled to death in the cooling systems of power stations along coastlines. The Guardian newspaper is trying to help. It has started the Biodiversity 100 campaign to try to convince governments around the world to take action to deal with the widespread concerns about biodiversity. This includes persuading the UK government to create a series of marine reserves to reverse the decline in sea-life caused by industrial fishing, banning the fishing sharks by the Japanese fishermen and stopping the killing of dingoes in Australia, among many other things. 

There is a lot to do. And we'd better get a move on if we don't want to end up with a planet that can't support life!

China's top animator Tian Xiaopeng and his animation studio announced that they will be producing the much-anticipated live action film, The Three-Body Problem, based on the award-winning sci-fi novel by Chinese writer Liu Cixin.

Tian created China's 3-D animation milestone Monkey King: Hero Is Back in 2015. It grossed (获利) 956 million yuan in China, becoming the highest-grossing Chinese animation in the country's film history at that time. It had held the record until 2019 when it got broken by Coloroom Pictures Ne Zha that grossed more than five billion yuan.

Book fans of The Three-Body Problem had mixed reactions after hearing about Tian's involvement. Some expressed doubt about a studio that specializes in animation making a live-action movie. Others also argued that the universe described in the novel is too big and complicated for any filmmakers to portray on big screens. But some seemed optimistic about the new adaption, noting the impressive track record of Tian's previous works.

The book series talks about how human beings respond to alien invasion. It was published in China between 2006 and 2010, and sold more than one million copies. The first book in the series was awarded the Chinese Science Fiction Galaxy Award in 

2006. In 2014, an English translation of the first book by Chinese-American author Ken Liu, titled The Three-Body Problem, was published. A year later, Liu Cixin became the first Asian author to win the Hugo Award, the highest honor in science fiction and fantasy writing. 

The book series has developed various art and entertainment forms including stage dramas and radio shows. During Spring Festival in 2019, Guo Fan's The Wandering Earth, a film also based on a novel by Liu Cixin, had made over 4. 6 billion yuan at the box office domestically. It ignited huge public interest in the film project of The Three-Body Problem.

Today, with most of us owning a smartphone that lets us post on social media wherever and whenever we want, oversharing has become harder to avoid. But the tricky thing is that people usually don't realize when they' re oversharing. The problem can only be triggered by our friends and family. A survey showed that every two in three people in the US think their friends share too much on social media.

Oversharing can have negative impacts. For instance, it can put your personal information at risk. When you update your status, or simply recall an experience on social networking sites like WeChat, chances are that you are revealing critical personal information. 

According to a survey by Visa Canada, 45% of people aged 18-34 "overshare" their financial information online. "Young people shared payment card information via e-mail, loaned out their cards, and didn't keep their PIN confidential," reported CBS. This behavior mirrors similar habits of sharing personal information on social media sites. They're really not totally aware of who has access to this information and who else can be seeing this information and what could be done with it.

"Oversharing contributes to a larger culture in which such behavior is considered acceptable or even desirable," said Seidman, associate professor at Albright College in the US. Elizabeth Bernstein, a US-based educator, said that "the great increase of overshare is partially because of the wild use of social media as a subconscious attempt to control anxiety. We actually use a lot of mental energy trying to manage the other person's impression of us by oversharing. "

Moreover, oversharing online can damage effective communication in real life. "Having such easy access to so many people makes communication superficial," said Chen, a psychologist at South China Normal University. "In the end, the lack of deep communication hurts strong social bonds, particularly friendships. "

The world awaits. Where will you go next? The following are among the most exciting destinations to visit. Grab your bags and go!

Prague Castle, Czech Republic

Sitting atop a hill across the river from the center of the city, Prague Castle casts a spectacular atmosphere over its surroundings. The castle is an incredible collection of buildings constructed from the 9th to 14th century. It is one of the largest castles in the world, and around almost every corner is a historical building, church, or open square. 

Chichen Itza, Mexico

The ancient Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza have been drawing curious tourists since they were first brought to light by a popular book by John Lloyd Stevens in 1843. Today the site, located near the center of the Yucatan Peninsula, is one of the top tourist attractions in Mexico and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You'll witness the ruins of the once powerful Mayan people and visit the sacred Cenote where sacrifices took place.

Glacier National Park

Named for the remains of glaciers from the ice age, Glacier National Park is located on the border of Canada and Montana. It is often called the "Crown of the Continent," because of its natural beauty. Aside from its breathtaking geological features, it's also home to a fair amount of history. The Going-to-the-Sun Road—a scenic, 50 mile drive through the park—is a National Historic Landmark and an engineering marvel that offers spectacular views, as well as access to popular hiking trails.

Istanbul, Turkey

Turkey's capital city is another destination that offers a great mix of culture, food, and history. There are thousands of years of history here, starting with Ancient Greeks and Ancient Romans and leading up through the Ottoman Empire. You can spend the day shopping and the night at a wonderful restaurant eating great Turkish food and dancing to Turkish music.

My best friend Carla Hernandez called me on Thursday afternoon. "Daniel, meet me in the park near the playground in five minutes. I have a great idea!" This worried me because Carla's great ideas almost always meant big trouble for me!

I dashed outside and jogged to the park. When I saw Carla, my heart sank because her large dog Perro was with her. I liked everything about Carla except Perro. I had never had a pet in my house, and I felt uncomfortable and nervous around animals. But I was embarrassed to say I was afraid of Carla's dog.

Upon my arrival, Carla smiled in a joyful voice. "Isn't this the perfect location for a pet show?" I was surprised at her words. Carla explained to me that all the kids in the neighborhood could show off their pets' talents and demonstrated the things they did well. Besides, there were plenty of comfortable benches for our parents and friends to sit on as audience. Carla added that I could be the announcer since I didn't have a pet for the show. What she said directly affected my mood because crowds always made me nervous and unsure. Looking into her eyes, I apologized, "I'm sorry, but that's impossible! Besides, I don't like animals, remember?"

"That's nonsense," said Carla. "There's nothing to be concerned about because you'll be great!" Just at that time, Perro leaped up, slobbered all over me, and almost knocked me down. "Yuck. Down, Perro! Stay!" I shouted. Perro sat as still as a statue. "Wow, you're good at that," Carla raised her voice excitedly. "Now let's get started because we have a lot to do. "

With her encouragement, I decided to have a try. After going back home, I couldn't wait to practice announcing each pet's act. By Saturday morning I had practiced hundreds of times. However, my stomach was doing flip flops by the time the audience arrived at the park. The size of the crowd made me feel even more anxious.

注意： 1. 续写词数应为150左右; 2. 请按如下格式在答题纸的相应位置作答。

注意：1. 词数80左右；2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

Dear Jason, 

Li Hua

—It was in the village  we visited last month. 

It's said that Mother's Day was first suggested in the United States by Julia Ward Howe in 1872 as a day dedicated to peace after the Franco Prussian War. The holiday gained its 1 majorly due to the efforts of Anna M. Jarvis.

Anna began a letter-writing 2 to gain support for a national Mother's Day holiday when her mother passed away in

1905. 3  influential leaders, including William Taft, Theodore Roosevelt, and John Wannamaker, Anna poured out a stream of requests for support of the idea. She believed, mothers 4  their own special day and that it would help strengthen family bonds. 

She 5 her mother's church in West Virginia to celebrate Mother's Day on the second anniversary of her mother's 6 , the 2nd Sunday of May. By 1911 Mother's Day was celebrated in almost every state, and flowers quickly became a lasting 7 to express love on the occasion. In 1914, Congress 8 a law designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day, "a public 9 of love and respect for the mothers of our country". President Woodrow Wilson issued the statement, making it a(n) 10 US holiday.

But Anna's accomplishment soon turned 11 for her. Annoyed by the 12 of the holiday, she filed a lawsuit (诉讼) to stop a 1923 Mother's Day festival and was even arrested for 13 the peace at a war mothers' conference where women sold white carnations (康乃馨) — Anna's symbol for mothers — to raise money, "This is not what I 14 ," Jarvis said. "I wanted it to be a day of sentiment, not 15 !"

Today Mother's Day has become a very popular holiday in the USA.

Even if you love fish, actually cooking it in your kitchen can be a commitment. Long after the fish has been eaten, the pots washed, and the plates put in the dishwasher, the fish smell still exits.  Luckily, expert cooks have figured out how you can cook your fish without leaving a smell that exists for days. 

First off, know that truly fresh fish really shouldn't have much of an odor (气味) at all. So if you unwrap a package of fish and take a step back from the smell that greets you, throw it away because it's not fresh.

A lot of the smell from cooking fish is because of the cooking method you use.  However, other techniques, like cooking fish in paper, can put a lid on the problem before it starts. Cleaning experts recommend minimizing the odor before cooking by bathing fish in milk or a solution of lemon and water. 

If it's too late and your home is beginning to smell like the parking lot of a seafood joint, then Good Housekeeping suggests mixing together vinegar and water and letting it boil for several minutes to get rid of the smell.

 Shut any inside doors to keep the smell from spreading throughout the house and into bedrooms, but open up kitchen windows and doors to allow the smell to get out. And be sure to wipe any spills and throw away any trash containing fish bits.  And the resulting sweet scent will make everyone forget about any fishy odor. 

A. Frying can cause a big smell problem. 

B. Prepare your home ahead of fish cooking time. 

C. Here's how to make every room smell amazing.

D. Cooking fish wrong brings about terrible smells. 

E. When all else fails, bake up some cookies for dessert. 

F. But, admittedly, even the freshest fish can get a bit of smell once it's cooked.

G. It can be enough to put even the most devoted fish eater off cooking it regularly. 

For the first time, scientists have measured what actually happens with face-to-face interactions when employees start to work at an open-plan office, and their results show these modern workspaces are not as cooperative as you'd think.

Two researchers from Harvard Business School and Harvard University wanted to test whether removing walls at a real-world workplace really increases interactions between co-workers. "To our knowledge, no prior study has directly measured the effect on actual interaction that results from removing walls to create an open office environment," Ethan S. Bernstein and Stephen Turban write in the paper. To that end, they approached two multinational companies that were re-organizing their office spaces at the global headquarters, and enlisted small groups of employees for two studies.

For eight weeks before the office redesign and eight weeks afterward, the researchers tracked employees' social interactions and locations. This data was analyzed together with email and instant messaging information from the company's servers to measure differences in how people were communicating with each other.

What they found was a pretty astonishing difference in face-to-face interactions — but not in the direction you might think. Across both experiments, employees' social interactions in person decreased by a crazy 70 percent, while emails saw an uptick by roughly 20 to 50 percent.

So, instead of spending more time cooperating with co-workers in the new space where everyone could see them, people got their heads down and tried to preserve their privacy any way they could. According to these results, it appears that being forced into a more open-plan environment can make people switch from chatting to others in person to sending an email or using instant messaging instead. 

As the team notes, it's not automatically a bad thing, but it can certainly change work dynamics in an unexpected way. "That can have important consequences for how — and how productively — work gets done," the researchers conclude.

The world is wasting the opportunity to "build back better" from the Covid-19 pandemic, and faces disastrous temperature rises of at least 2.7℃ if countries fail to strengthen their climate commitments, according to a report from the UN.

Tuesday's publication warns that countries' current commitments would reduce carbon by only about 7.5% by 2030, far less than the 45% cut, which scientists say is needed to limit global temperature rises to 1.5℃, the aim of the Cop26 summit that opens in Glasgow this Sunday.

António Guterres, the UN secretary-general, described the findings as a "thundering wake-up call" to world leaders, while experts called for action against fossil fuel companies.

Although more than 100 countries have promised to reach net zero emissions around mid-century, this would not be enough to avoid climate disasters, according to the UN emissions report, which examines the shortfall between countries' intentions and actions needed on the climate. Many of the net zero commitments were found to be unclear, and unless accompanied by strict cuts in emissions this decade would allow global heating of a potentially disastrous extent.

Guterres said, "The heat is on, and as the contents of the report show, the leadership we need is off. Far off. Countries are wasting a massive opportunity to invest Covid-19 finance and recovery resources in sustainable, cost-saving, planet-saving ways. As world leaders prepare for Cop26, this report is another thundering wake-up call. How many do we need?"

Inger Andersen, the director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said, "Climate change is no longer a future problem. It is a now problem. To stand a chance of limiting global warming to 1.5℃, we have 8 years to almost halve greenhouse gas emissions: 8 years to make the plans, put in place the policies, carry them out and deliver the cuts. The clock is ticking loudly. "

Emissions fell by about 5.4% last year during Covid lockdowns, the report found, but only about one-fifth of the economic recovery spending goes towards reducing carbon emissions. This failure to "build back better" despite promises by governments around the world cast doubt on the world's willingness to make the economic shift necessary to settle the climate crisis, the UN said.

In the run-up to Cop26, countries were supposed to submit national plans to cut emissions — called nationally determined contributions (NDCs) — for the next decade, a requirement under the 2015 Paris climate agreement. But the UNEP report found only half of countries had submitted new NDCs, and some governments had presented weak plans. 

Jamil Jan Kochai, the author of 99 Nights in Logar, searched for more than a decade for Susan Lung—the second-grade teacher who had changed his life over 20 years earlier. On Saturday night, the two were finally reunited at one of his book-reading events. 

The writer was born in a refugee camp for Afghans in Peshawar, Pakistan, and his family moved to California when he was just a year old. At home, they spoke mostly Pashto and some Farsi, so by the time he reached first grade, he was at a total loss because he could hardly speak English. Then came Mrs. Lung, who quickly realized that Kochai was deeply struggling at Alyce Norman Elementary School. 

The two got to work, meeting for one-on-one lessons nearly every day after school. At the end of the school year, Kochai won reading-comprehension competitions. 

Lung and Kochai lost touch when Kochai's father got a job in another city and the boy moved on, with a new love of reading and writing. When he grew older, Kochai's parents encouraged him to find his former teacher to thank her. But despite his efforts, he failed to track her down.

"I didn't know her first name. She was always just Mrs. Lung to me, so when I called places to ask about her, they couldn't find any records of her," Kochai said.

Then, while promoting his first novel, he wrote an essay for Literary Hub magazine touching on the transformative impact that Lung had on his life. Lung's doctor happened to read it, and told the now-retired educator about that.

Lung's husband saw a Facebook post about Kochai's reading event on Saturday in Davis, California and suggested he drive his wife there.

"I had no idea they were going to be there," Kochai said. "It was just like a sweet dream. Mrs. Lung was sitting in the front row. She was just the same Mrs. Lung. Just as sweet, kind and warm as ever. "

Kochai and Lung hugged, and Kochai finally got the chance to express to her how much he still thought of her and how much she meant to him.