It is widely acknowledged that cities with some kind of functioning ecosystems make for better place for humans to live. More plants and animals in cities make for happier, healthier people.
A study conducted on green spaces in Sheffield, England, for instance, revealed that the greater the biodiversity(生物多样性), the greater the psychological well-being(健康) of the city’s citizens. In Paris, researchers found that getting citizens to take part in day-long activities involving urban wildlife opened their eyes to the natural world for a time, at least.
Few cities have been associated with urban ecology for as long as Berlin. “Slow economic recovery after the Second World War meant that reconstruction would take a long time. This provide local ecologist with the ideal conditions to develop an ambitious ecological research program in the bombed-out wastelands of West Berlin,” said Jens Lachmund, a sociologist at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands.
The pioneering work in Berlin bad several consequences, especially the formation of significant natural spaces within the city, such as the Sudgelande Nature. “Berlin has indeed benefited a lot from being a case study in urban ecology,” said Lachmund.
The recent research conducted by Mark Goddard, a biologist at the University of Leeds, and his colleagues confirmed the importance of natural space within an urban setting. Goddard and his team conducted a striking global analysis of bird and plant diversity, quantifying the influence of urbanization on levels of biodiversity around the world. “Functioning urban ecosystems will be extremely important to human health and well-being,” said Goddard.
Cities take up just 3% of the land surface area, yet according to the most recent figure from the United Nations, some 3. 6 billion people (just over 50% of the global population) now live in urban areas. By 2050, this figure is expected to rise to 6.3 billion. Without animals and plants to keep us company, it is a dark future.
1.The findings in Paragraph 2 are mentioned to explain the link between .
A. Citizens and their well-being
B. green spaces and urban wildlife
C. urban ecology and citizens’ well-being
D. functioning ecosystems and the natural word
2.What would be Goddard’s attitude towards Berlins work?
A. Cautious.
B. Admiring.
C. Uncaring.
D. Negative.
3.The author uses figures in the last paragraph to show .
A. the negative effect of over population.
B. the importance of urban ecosystems.
C. the serious problems of city life.
D. the rapid growth of urban areas.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A. Should cities be for animals and plants too?
B. Should Berlin have more natural spaces?
C. Should more people live in urban areas?
D. Should the global population be controlled now?
Yasuda is 95 years old. Looking for easier ways to search the Web and send email, he bought Apple’s iPad. The company has sold 3.27 million iPads since they entered the market in April. Although it’s impossible to know with certainty how many seniors (老年人) are buying them, evidence suggests that it’s a hit with seniors.
The iPad’s intuitive interface (直观界面) makes it attractive to seniors around the world, says Takahiro Miura, a researcher at the University of Tokyou. “The iPad is a good tool for seniors because it’s very easy to use,” he says. Unlike the PC, it doesn’t require former knowledge.”
James Cordwell, a researcher in London, says the iPad’s popularity with seniors is helping Apple reach beyond its traditional base of young customers. “The world’s population, especially in developed markets, is getting older. It’s probably a market where Apple has least entered,” Cordwell says. Senior users are a key source of growth for them in the future.
Seniors make. up about 22 percent of the population in Japan. They may prove that seniors are willing to accept the iPad. Besides the customer group under 30, they spend more than any other group in the country, according to a report. Motoo Kitamura, 78, a former gas salesman, bought an iPad to help him communicate with his 2-year-old grandson and prevent him from experiencing some of the mental problems that sometimes come with getting older. “Trying new things like that is good mental exercise,” he says.
1.The underlined part “a hit” in Paragraph 1 probably means .
A. a sudden attack
B. a heavy burden
C. very familiar
D. quite popular
2.Which of the following is NOT an advantage of the iPad?
A. It has intuitive interface.
B. It is easy to operate.
C. People can use it as a way to do mental exercise.
D. Beginners can use it without similar experiences.
3.What can we learn from the text?
A. The traditional customers of Apples products are usually the young.
B. People above thirty are Apples largest customer group in Japan.
C. Seniors will soon grow into Apples largest customer group.
D. Seniors in Japan are fond of buying latest hi-tech products.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A. iPad influencing the customer group.
B. iPad leading Apple to seniors.
C. iPad’s arrival causing Japanese to think.
D. iPad beating the traditional PC.
Tennis great Billie Jean King is a great athlete and a pioneer in sport and she won four singles titles at the US Open between 1967 and 1974. Now, the same tennis officials with whom she often battled have paid her a special honor. US Open organizers named their venue(会场) the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at the beginning of this year’s championship. The decision came as a surprise to the star.
Billie Jean King had her first tennis lesson at the age of 11, and became interested in it. Six years later she made herself known winning the first of 20 titles at Wimbledon in the doubles championship. King went on to become the first female athlete to earn $100,000 in a year. But her greatest achievements may have been off the game. She devoted herself to fighting for equal status for women and women in sports that went far beyond tennis.
A unique opportunity arrived and it proved a perfect way for King to further change the place of women in sports in 1973. She was challenged to play a man-tennis great Bobby Riggs. The men organizing the event expected it would provide great entertainment and the event was reported by sportscaster(体育评论员) Howard Cosell. But King found he focused on her appearance, never mentioning her athletic achievements. King saw it as a crossroad in her battle for women’s equality in sports. She did win, further opening opportunities for girls in sports.
But some young female athletes now don’t take these opportunities seriously. When asked what they knew about King, they looked puzzled. “They’ve got many chances to play and it’s a good thing. However, we still have a long way to go for girls and women in sports and that’s what I want—I want the dream to be equal” She said.
1.Billie Jean King fought with tennis officials for .
A. better pay for herself
B. more chances to compete
C. the equality for women in sports
D. a special honor from them
2.Billie King first won her fame through .
A. her competition with Bobby Riggs in 1973
B. being the first athlete to get a yearly income of $100, 000
C. the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
D. her victory in the doubles championship
3.Why was the event with Bobby Riggs organized in 1973?
A. To attract more audience for the interests of the organizer.
B. To increase Billie King’s fame in the sports field.
C. To make the sport tennis popular:
D. To further open chances for women in sports.
4.From the passage, we can learn that Billie King .
A. has always been respected and honored in sports from the start
B. thinks that the status women have got in sports is high enough
C. is disappointed at not being recognized by young female athletes
D. thinks inequality between men and women in sports still exists.
School Activities for Kids and Teens
Are you looking for full-filled activities for kids and teens? Here are some wonderful ones for you!
Secret of the Dragon
Time: Monday, July 1, 2015, 10:30 a. m.
Cost: Adult: $7.40, Children (under15): half
Bookings: Phone the booking office at 34032578.
Address: Brisbane Botanic Gardens
Note: Secret of the Dragon is a magical story about two children who are taken on a dragon ride to explore the universe.
The Search for life: Are We Alone?
Time: Thursday, July 4, 2015, 2:00 p. m.
Cost: Adult: $14. 50，Children (under 15): $8.70
Bookings: Phone the booking office at 34037689.
Address: Brisbane Botanic Gardens
Note: Are we truly alone in space? Is there any life out there? These are the questions asked in this show.
Magic Class
Time: Friday, July 12, 2015, 10:00 a. m.
Cost: Free
Bookings: Please call 34038470 to book your place.
Address: Centenary Community hub, 171 Dandenong Rd.
Note: Would you like to be a magician? Then join David, the magician, to learn about real magic with playing cards, coins, ring ropes and DIY projects and be able to become the life of the party.
Science with me: Making Your Own Guitar
Time: Saturday, July 20, 2015, 3:00 p. m.
Cost: Freed
Bookings: Please phone 34031226 to book your place.
Address: 10, Egginton Close
Note: Do you want to make a guitar with Katy and her mom? Science with Me is going to be with you. Please remember to bring a piece of wood, a hammer, some rubber bands and some nails with you.
1.Alec is strongly interested in space life. He may go to .
A. Magic Class
B. Science with Me
C. Secret of the Dragon
D. The Search for Life
2.John and his 10-year-old son want to watch Secret of the Dragon. How much should they pay?
A. $7.40.
B. $11.10
C. $14.80
D. $23.20
3.What do the four activities have in common(共同之处)?
A. They are all free.
B. They happen in the same place.
C. They can all be booked by phone.
D. They are all weekend activities.
最近你校英语报做了一次关于"遇到困难找谁帮忙"的问卷调查,请根据以下信息，用英语为该报写一篇120词左右的短文， 简要分析调查结果，并发表自己的观点。短文的标题已为你写好。
调查对象：你校高中生
调查人数：200人
调查方式：访谈
调查结果：(见下图)
Whom Do You Turn to When in Trouble
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
（1）
你们学校学生会最近组织了一次＂有烦恼时向谁倾诉？＂的调查活动。请根据以下的调查数据，用英语给校报写一篇新闻稿，反映调查结果。
倾诉对象 | 同学和朋友 | 老师和家长 | 没有 |
百分比 | 61% | 22% | 17% |
理由 | 同龄人容易交流和理解 | 老师家长阅历丰富，有生活和教育经验 | 不愿和别人说自己的事或难以与别人相处 |
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.信的开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Editor，
Recently the Student Union carried out a survey，the title of which is ＂To whom do you go to when in trouble？＂ The results are as follows.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely，
The Student Union
