For thousands of years, the Yangtze River Basin has nurtured (哺育) countless generations of people in China. With towering mountains, dense (茂密的) forests and beautiful wetlands, the basin is also home to many kinds of wild animals and plants.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, it boasts about 350 types of fish, 762 kinds of bird, 280 mammals and over 14,000 different plants.
One of the most famous creatures is the baiji, or Yangtze River dolphin, which is described as the “Goddess of the Yangtze” in the Erya (《尔雅》), a Chinese dictionary dating back to 200 BC.
The light grey, long-nosed river dolphin first lived in the oceans before settling in the Yangtze River around 20 million years ago. Despite having eyes, it relies on its sonar (声呐) abilities to navigate (导航) through water, according to China Daily.
It’s also a shy creature. That’s why Wang Ding, an expert from the Institute of Hydrobiology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, compared it to the “girl next door”. “The baiji is very beautiful but difficult to get close to,” Wang told the Guardian.
However, the baiji’s cousin, the Yangtze finless porpoise (江豚), seems to have a more lively character. Known for its “mischievous” (淘气的) smile and friendliness with humans, the finless porpoise is nicknamed the “water elf (精灵)”.
Compared to the friendly porpoise, the snow leopard (雪豹), known as the “king of the snowy mountains”, couldn’t be more different. With sharp teeth, the white-coated big cat has strong limbs (四肢), which help the animal to cover about 10 meters in a single leap.
Despite the biodiversity in the Yangtze River Basin, however, its creatures are under threat. For example, the baiji was declared “functionally extinct” in 2006. This means that even if there are some of a species still alive, it still may not survive. The finless porpoise was categorized as “critically endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2013, while the snow leopard was listed as “vulnerable (易危的)” in 2017.
A major reason for the drop in the number of these creatures is human activity, such as hunting and pollution, according to China Daily.
“In the past, many people relied on fish farming to make a living,” Huang Zehua, an official from Jingzhou, Hubei, told Beijing Review. “Fish farming then was mostly chaotic and disorderly.”
Luckily, measures have been taken to protect the Yangtze River Basin. In 2016, China announced the creation of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, involving nine provinces and two municipalities (直辖市). Environmental protection and green development are considered first in the development of the economic belt, according to China Daily.
“The Yangtze River is China’s mother river, and it’s our duty to protect it,” said Chinese President Xi Jinping during an inspection tour of Hubei in April, 2017.
Saving 1. wildlife | |
China’s mother river | With rich natural 2., the Yangtze River Basin is home to 3. of wild animals and plants. |
The animals living in or along the river | Baiji came from the oceans 20 million years ago, using its sonar to 4. the directions through water. It is shy and beautiful. It is now very 5. to extinction. |
The Yangtze finless porpoise might have the same 6. with baiji but is more friendly to humans. It is under great threat now. | |
The snow leopard is 7. at racing with strong limbs, which was listed as “vulnerable” in 2017. | |
A major factor 8. to the drop in the number of these creatures | The 9. human activity, such as hunting and pollution, has caused great harm to the living chances of these animals. |
Measures taken to protect the Yangtze River Basin. | Nine provinces and two municipalities have joined the Yangtze River Economic Belt and agreed that environmental protection and green development are a 10. in the development of the economic belt. |
The word tolerance is widely used in liberal democracies. It indicates a positive meaning. Politicians urge us to be tolerant towards minorities. Educators teach us to be tolerant towards the other. The press is full of references to the need to display tolerance when faced with individuals or groups espousing a different view or holding a different religious belief. A tolerant society is an objective sought after by anyone who believes in the values of democracy. A tolerant individual is attributed with virtuous qualities(美德).
The question we must ask is whether we have been using the word tolerance fully aware of its meaning and whether we have applied it correctly to reflect what we really wish to convey?
The word tolerance means to bear, or to bear with. If I tolerate something or someone, I basically say that I am ready to bear it or him. I can tolerate a bad smell or a noisy neighbour. The act of toleration forces me to desist from conveying my objection to the existence of a phenomenon, which I find difficult to bear. A bad smell or a noisy neighbour is considered by me to be an objectionable phenomenon. By tolerating either of them, I am not transforming the bad smell or the noisy neighbour into positive phenomena. Let's be honest: I don't have a different taste when it comes to bad smells. I simply dislike it and wish that it disappears. I don't respect the noisy neighbour. I would rather have him stop at once the noise he is making so I can live in peace.
To try to remove the bad smell or take reasonable action in order for the noisy neighbour to stop bothering me would most probably not be considered an intolerant act by most people.
Now, let's try to apply the word tolerance in reference to a person who is law-abiding and holds a legally acceptable different view from my own. I may have a strong view, which is opposed to his. Quite frankly, I may decide to tolerate his view. By so doing, I would be attributing to it a negative characteristic. I would apply the same attitude to his view as to the bad smell or noisy neighbour. Thus, to try to take action in order to make his view disappear would be considered an intolerant act. To tolerate his view the way I would a bad smell or a noisy neighbour, could hardly be considered virtuous.
The subject tolerating is by nature not equal to the object being tolerated. If I tolerate you, I essentially say that I am above you and am prepared, although unwillingly, to bear with your presence or with your practices or opinions. That may be true in the case of an individual who is ready to tolerate the other. However, this attitude by such an individual, though empirically true, is hardly a virtue. Certainly, the fact that an individual, in reality, may merely tolerate the other or his opinion does not justify a government or any official authority promoting tolerance as a virtue. One cannot tolerate an equal being. True equality involves respect, not toleration. To respect the other as a distinctive person is hardly to tolerate him. This is the true meaning of equality: diversity existing in a mutually-respectful socio-legal setting.
The danger with tolerance is that it can lead to the acceptance of individuals or groups bent on destroying the foundations of democratic systems. We have seen such cases with regard to political parties or destructive religious groups that have been treated in a liberal manner under the guise of tolerance.
A tolerant attitude involves the grant of a favour, not a right. The question we should ask ourselves is whether we would ever wish a parliament to make laws according to us, as individuals and as part of a collective entity or a permission to pursue certain actions interpreted as a favour rather than a right? Indeed, would we ever wish anyone to listen to our views and accept us the way we are simply because he is kind enough to tolerate us?
1.The first two paragraphs are mainly intended to show that __________.
A. tolerance is a symbol of liberal democracies
B. democratic society always advocates tolerance
C. people’s understanding of tolerance is one-sided
D. tolerance can be applied to many situations
2.The underlined part “desist from” in Paragraph 3 can be replaced by ________.
A. deny B. dislike C. stop D. keep
3.The example of a bad smell and a noisy neighbour is raised to indicate that _________.
A. the writer are fed up with them B. most people find them hard to tolerate
C. the writer isn’t prejudiced against them D. tolerating them isn’t a virtuous act
4.The main idea of Paragraph 6 is that _________.
A. tolerance has nothing to do with respect B. most people promote tolerance as a virtue
C. people should show respect for each other D. tolerance shows an unequal relationship
5.Which of the following will the writer probably agree with?
A. Too much tolerance will endanger the foundations of democratic systems.
B. By tolerating people can transform something negative into the opposite.
C. People tolerating others are likely to consider them as their equals.
D. Being tolerant should be regarded as a right instead of a favour
6.The best title for this passage should be ___________.
A. Tolerance and respect B. What is to be tolerated?
C. Is Tolerance a Virtue? D. Should people be tolerant?
China suffers choking smog, mass destruction of habitats and food poisoned with heavy metals. But ask an environmentalist what is the country’s biggest problem, and the answer is always the same. “Water is the worst,” says Wang Tao, of the Carnegie Tsinghua Centre in Beijing, “because of its shortage, and because of its pollution.” “Without water，”agrees Pan Jiahua, of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, “people cannot survive in a desert.” Wang Shucheng，a former water minister, once said, “To fight for every drop of water or die. That is the challenge facing China.” He was not exaggerating (夸大).
China uses 600 billion cubic meters of water a year. The national average hides an even more alarming regional difference. Four fifths of China’s water is in the south, particularly the Yangtze river basin. Half the people and two thirds of the farmland are in the north, including the Yellow River basin. Beijing has the sort of water shortage usually associated with Saudi Arabia: just 100 cubic meters per person a year.
China is using up water at an unsustainable (无法可持续的)rate. As if that were not bad enough, ______. The Yellow River is often called the cradle of Chinese civilization. However, a third of the water is unfit even for agriculture. Four thousand petrochemical factories arc built on its banks.
The water available for use is thus so bad. Song Lanhe, chief engineer for urban water quality monitoring at the housing ministry, says only half the water sources in cities are safe to drink. More than half the groundwater in the north China plain cannot be used for industry, while seven tenths is unfit for human contact, even for washing.
The best answer would be to improve the efficiency with which water is used. Only about 40% of water used in industry is recycled，half as much as in Europe. The rest is dumped in rivers and lakes. Wang Zhansheng of Tsinghua University argues that China is neglecting its urban water infrastructure (基础设施)、leading to more waste. Water prices in most cities are only about a tenth of the level in big European cities, yet the government is unwilling to raise them, for fear of a popular criticism. The result is that China’s “water productivity” is low.
Rather than making wise reforms in pricing and water protection, China is focusing on increasing supplies. The best known such project is the Three Gorges dam on the Yangtze. But this year an even vaster project 一 the South North Water Diversion Project (南水北调工程)-is due to start. It will link the Yangtze with the Yellow River, taking water from the wet south to the dry north. When finished, it is intended to deliver 45 billion cubic meters of water a year and to cost a total of 486 billion yuan ($79.4 billion).
The environmental damage could be huge. The Yangtze is already seriously polluted. The project so far has reduced the quantity of underwater life in the Yangtze by over two thirds. And that was before it even opened. Ma Jun. China's best known environmental activist, says the government’s preference for giant engineering projects only makes matters worse, “causing us to hit the limits of our water resources”. The water crisis is driving China to desperate but eventually unhelpful measures.
1.From the first two paragraphs we know that ___________.
A. water is badly polluted in most of the area of China
B. the water in China is unfit for people to survive in a desert
C. Wang Shucheng was sad about China’s future
D. people in North China are facing a more serious water shortage
2.Which of the following may help complete the missing sentence in Paragraph 3?
A. China is polluting what little water it has left.
B. The biggest damage of the water shortage could be political.
C. 300 dead bodies were found floating in the Yellow River near Lanzhou.
D. The Chinese government has reacted, to water problems by huge but harm fill projects.
3.According to the author, the South North Water Diversion Project is ______.
A. a vast and significant project B. a huge and promising project
C. a giant but unsuccessful project D. a costly but effective project
4.By saying “The water crisis is driving China to desperate but eventually unhelpful measures” in the last paragraph, the author implies_________.
A. there is no good way for China to solve the problem of water crisis
B. more giant projects like the Three Gorges should be built
C. it is urgent for China to deal with the crisis of water shortage and pollution
D. China should put forward other efficient ways instead of those giant engineering projects
In sports, sometimes a player has to take one for the team. The same appears to be true in the plant world, where reduced individual growth can benefit the broader community. The findings from the University of Michigan’s Paul Glaum and André Kessler of Cornell University help explain the persistence (持续存在) of some plant communities when theory predicts they should go extinct(绝种的).
“We looked at how chemical defense cues (信号) from plants, meant to prevent herbivores (食草动物), can also prevent pollinators,” said Glaum, a doctoral student in the U-M Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. “The surprising model result is that while this can lead to fitness losses for individuals, the population effects can be positive for pollinators and plants under some circumstances.”
Many plants, including the wild tomato species used in this study, produce chemical compounds to repel (排斥) insect pests and other hungry herbivores. But those same chemical defenses can reduce the number of visits to the plant by pollinators such as bees, resulting in less pollination of individual plants and decreased growth.
“Biologists have puzzled over how such a costly defense mechanism (机制) can be maintained in these plant populations,” Glaum said. “How would a plant population with such a strategy persist?” Glaum and Kessler developed a computer model showing that decreased growth of individual plants can benefit overall populations and community resilience (恢复力) by indirectly controlling herbivore population growth. The results introduce mechanisms of persistence into communities previously found to be prone (易于遭受的) to extinction in theoretical models.
Tomatoes and other plants produce repellent chemicals called volatile (易挥发的) organic compounds in response to herbivore attacks. The presence of these so-called herbivore-induced volatile organic compounds can make the plant less attractive to pollinators, which can reduce pollen deposition (沉淀物) and negatively affect individual plants, an effect known as herbivore-induced pollinator limitation.
Previous modeling studies have looked at the direct effects of herbivory on a three-species community: flowering plant, pollinator and herbivore. Some of those studies predicted extinctions because growing herbivore populations would reduce the number of plants, limiting resources available to pollinators. In response, the pollinator population would decline, lowering plant reproduction.
1.According to the passage, the persistence of some plant communities may depend on __________.
A. chemical defenses of plants B. increased individual growth
C. reduced chemical compounds D. defense mechanisms of pollinators
2.The underlined word pollinator in Paragraph 2 probably refers to __________.
A. a kind of insects that help plants reproduce B. a kind of animals that eat plants
C. a process of forming a plant community D. a chemical that does harm to plants
3.Volatile organic compounds are __________.
A. less attractive to pollinators
B. able to have negative effects on individual plants
C. known as herbivore-induced pollinator limitation
D. chemicals produced by plants to attract herbivores
There’s more to mobile apps than just social media. Here, TEENS has picked out five of our current favorites that may just brighten up your life.
TaoMix 2 – Android/iOS
This is the perfect app for when your homework is finally finished and you can relax for a while. TaoMix 2 provides natural sounds to allow your worries to drift far away. The soundtracks feature birdsong, light rain, mild thunder, and many other comforting sounds. Would you like to imagine that you are in a tent on a hill with no one for miles around? TaoMix 2 can help you. The sound of rain above your head will take you there. Some like music to accompany their nature sounds. Thankfully, Taomix 2 has a choice of ambient(轻松的) melodies to deepen your state of calm. You can let the app choose the music for you or you can take control yourself by mixing and matching your sounds. Taomix 2 is the perfect tool for anyone who wants to unwind (放松) at the end of a long day.
MyHomework Student Planner – Android/iOS
It seems like there’s never an end to schoolwork. Keeping track of what you have to do and making sure it’s done when the teacher wants it requires organization. However, myHomework is a student planner that looks to be the best on the market. It allows you to track classes, tests and homework. The app is free but if you pay a small extra charge you can get access to the myHomework website and receive homework reminders. This app has been around since 2009 and has been constantly updated since. And with so many great reviews, it could just be the perfect replacement for pen-and-pencil planning.
FaceApp – Android/iOS
Currently very popular in the US, FaceApp is a highly entertaining app that changes your face in strange and funny ways. FaceApp will take a photo of your face and age it, or make it younger, force it to smile, or make it grimace (做鬼脸). Faceapp can even change your sex. Ever wondered what the male or female version of yourself looks like? Try FaceApp and see for yourself. This app is mainly for fun, but not totally so. If you’re looking for an impressive WeChat profile photo, this app can make a few improvements to your image. You’ll still look like you, but just a little better. With a rating of 4.7 on Apple’s App Store, Faceapp is one of the hits of 2018.
Endomondo – Android/iOS
There’s a big market today for fitness apps, especially since the appearance of the Apple Watch and Fitbit. Busy people are concerned that they can’t find the hours in the day to take exercise. This is where Endomondo could make a difference. It allows you to track your performance in a fitness or sporting activity. After you’ve been for a run or climbed a hill, you can look at the figures of your physical performance. You can see the kilometers you covered, your maximum speed, and the calories you burned. Endomondo also allows you to compare your performance with other people’s, so you can judge the state of your fitness. In addition, like a real coach, the app gives you advice on how to improve your workouts.
Monument Valley – Android/iOS
It’s been available since 2014 and is as popular now as it was when it first appeared. Monument Valley is a game, but has a lot to offer. Its millions of fans worldwide say it’s more like a beautiful artistic experience in sight and sound than simply a test of the player’s abilities. Your job is to guide Princess Ida to her destination. To do that you must lead her through unusual buildings and enchanted (有魔法的) forests. Indeed, many players say that playing Monument Valley is like taking a journey through a painting. The latest update has added more content: Forgotten Shores consists of eight new chapters. It’s not free, but the quality of the game makes it worth the money.
1.You have to pay for the latest version if you are using ___________.
A. TaoMix 2 B. MyHomework Student Planner C. FaceApp D. Monument Valley
2.Which of the following is NOT true about the apps above?
A. You can choose the soundtracks in it or create the sounds you like when using Taomix.
B. MyHomework Student Planner is an updated app to replace a former version.
C. FaceApp is well received due to its functions for entertainment as well as practical use.
D. You can gain the feedbacks about your fitness by using Endomondo.
I lost my sight when I was four years old by falling off a box car in a goods yard in Atlantic City and landing on my head. Now I can dimly remember the _________ of sunshine and what color red is. It would be wonderful to see again, but a(n) _________ can do strange things to people.
It ________ to me the other day that I might not have come to love life as I do if I hadn't been blind. I believe in life now. I am not so sure that I would have believed in it so deeply, _________. I don't mean that I would prefer to _______ without my eyes. I simply mean that the loss of them made me appreciate the more what I had ________.
Life, I believe, asks a continuous series of _________ to reality. In ________ of the fact they are never easy, I had my parents and teachers to help. The hardest lesson I had to learn was to believe in myself. If I hadn't been able to do that, I would have ________ and become a chair rocker on the front porch for the rest of my life. When I say belief in myself I am not talking about _________ the kind of self confidence that helps me down an ________staircase alone. That is part of it. But I mean something bigger than that: an assurance that I am, despite __________, a real, positive person; that there is a special place where I can make myself _______.
It took me years to discover and _________ this assurance. It had to start with the most elementary things. Once a man gave me an indoor baseball. I thought he was laughing at me and I was hurt. “I can't use this.” I said. “Take it with you，” he urged me, “and roll it around.” The words ________ in my head. “Roll it around！” By rolling the ball I could hear where it _______. This gave me an idea how to achieve a goal I had thought ________: playing baseball. At Philadelphia’s Overbrook School for the Blind I invented a successful variation of baseball. We called it ground ball.
All my life I have set ahead of me a series of goals and then tried to achieve them, one at a time. I had to learn my _________. It was no good crying for something that I knew at the start was wildly out of ________ because that only __________ the bitterness of failure. I would fail sometimes anyway but on the average I made progress.
1.A. attraction B. brightness C. warmth D. charm
2.A. crash B. experience C. catastrophe D. memory
3.A. struck B. happened C. occurred D. appealed
4.A. eventually B. therefore C. meanwhile D. otherwise
5.A. choose B. stay C. go D. see
6.A. left B. forgotten C. lost D. heard
7.A. changes B. references C. trials D. adjustments
8.A. terms B. favour C. spite D. place
9.A. collapsed B. cried C. sighed D. escaped
10.A. possibly B. simply C. frankly D. inevitably
11.A. unbelievable B. unstable C. unfamiliar D. unlikely
12.A. fear B. imperfection C. concern D. unfairness
13.A. fit B. live C. stand D. realize
14.A. abandon B. strengthen C. broaden D. regain
15.A. stuck B. hit C. slipped D. jumped
16.A. stopped B. fell C. bounced D. went
17.A. reasonable B. realistic C. impossible D. potential
18.A. dreams B. abilities C. limitations D. achievements
19.A. control B. pity C. charge D. reach
20.A. proposed B. invited C. included D. extended
