In order to escape from bats’ hunt through sound, some of the moths have therefore evolved a “stealth coat” — made of tiny hairs and a layer of scales(磷片) — that reduces their detectability through echolocation(回声定位).
Mare Holderied, a biologist at the University of Bristol, wanted to know how good the moths were at hiding from bats. So he shaved off their hairs and then sent sound waves towards them, imitating how bats might echolocate to find their prey.
It turned out the moths’ one and-a-half-millimeter layer of fur reduced their detectability by just over 40％. In addition to the fur, moths also have a thin layer of scales, tens to hundreds of thousands of them, on each wing. The scales each respond to specific frequencies of sound waves and when a bat’s echolocation signals hit the moth’s wings, the scales start to shake. The acoustic energy (声能) from the echolocation is thus absorbed.
Dr. Holderied and his colleagues tested how well the scales worked and found that they were as good at absorbing sound as the fur. They absorbed as much as 87% of the incoming sound energy, but at only one tenth of the fur’s thickness. In terms of their ability to absorb sounds, the moth’s scales outperform and are much thinner than any human-designed soundproofing(隔音) used in homes and offices.
Recognizing the significant impact of noise on human health, especially in urban environments, Dr. Holderied’s team has been taking inspiration from the sound-absorbing proper tics of moths to design wallpaper that can reduce the noise of road traffic. Dr. Holderied concluded, “One day it will be possible to adorn the walls of your house with super-thin sound absorbing wallpaper, using a design that copies the mechanisms from moths. Moths are going to inspire the next generation of sound absorbing materials.”
1．Why did Mare Holderied shave the hairs of the moths?| A．To imitate how bats eat their prey. |
| B．To send sound waves towards moths. |
| C．To learn more about bats’ echolocation. |
| D．To test how moths escape from bats effectively. |
| A．Absorb the acoustic energy through shaking. |
| B．Send signals to another moth’s wings. |
| C．Copy the mechanisms from bats. |
| D．Change specific frequencies of bats’ sound waves. |
| A．Protect. | B．Decorate. | C．Repair. | D．Support. |
| A．Moth’s scales aren’t as good at absorbing sound as the fur. |
| B．The sound-absorbing properties of moths can save energy. |
| C．Moth wing-inspired sound absorbing wallpaper is in sight. |
| D．Moth’s fur outperforms any human-designed soundproofing. |
Anthony Wood remembers sitting in the classroom one snowy morning as his teacher eyed the flakes(雪花) flying outside the window. “Please boys and girls”, she said, “pray that it stops snowing.” How little she grasped the mind of children, Mr. Wood observes, “We were praying，alright -- praying that it would snow-until June.”
Everyone knows children loves snow. Mr. Wood’s new book is meant for adults who remain passionate. It is less a systematic history than a discussion through various snow-related subjects -- beginning with the snowflake itself, which the author describes poetically as “the DNA of God”. Monster snowstorms interest Mr. Wood, such as the great white hurricane of 1888, during which hundreds of people in the north-eastern United States died of severe coldness. Winter storms that prevented the transportation from functioning normally were disasters for cities like New York and Philadelphia. But snow also contributed to the development of subway systems.
His chapters touch on the impact of unpredictable snowfall on the water crisis in California and on winter fun everywhere. He offers some frustratingly disconnected guesses about how climate change will alter future snowfalls. The short answer is that there will probably be more snow in places where the amount of water in the air increases, and less where temperatures become too high to keep it.
And he reflects, if briefly, on snow’s delights and unusual charm. Why do people either love it or hate it? Many long for it, Mr Wood proposes, because of the splendid isolation(隔离) that it brings. It can direct attention inward, and help people return to themselves.
1．Why is Anthony Wood’s memory mentioned in Paragraph 1?| A．To introduce the topic. | B．To make a comparison. |
| C．To draw a conclusion. | D．To take an example. |
| A．It focuses on the history of snow. |
| B．It explains why children loves now. |
| C．It covers a wide range of topics about snow. |
| D．It only talks about the disaster caused by snow. |
| A．Pessimistic. | B．Unclear. | C．Objective. | D．Critical. |
| A．A biography of Anthony Wood. | B．An essay on climate change. |
| C．A fiction about snow. | D．A review of a book. |
Many of the world’s most wondrous and beautiful destinations are in danger of being destroyed by a combination of environmental and social factors. Below are some popular locations worth visiting before they disappear.
Glacier National Park
United States and Canada
Glacier National Park contains some of the most beautiful and primitive wilderness in the Rocky Mountains. There are more than 200 glacier-fed lakes and much wildlife. However, the latest warm period has caused the number of glaciers to decrease from 150 in 1850 to 26 today. If current global warming trends continue, there will be no glaciers left in the park by 2030.
Venice
Italy
With as many as 40 floods per year between March and September, Venice is slowly sinking at an estimated rate of 2.5 inches every ten years. A severe flood in December 2008 brought renewed attention to Venice’s vulnerable(脆弱的) state and approaching fate as an underwater city.
Taj Mahal
Agra, Uttar Pradesh State, India
The Taj Mahal is considered the finest example of the late style of Indian Islamic architecture. The building is visited by three to four million tourists each year. The crowds and air pollution, however, have caused irreversible(不可逆转的) damage to the building, making tourism officials consider closing the historic site to the public.
Pyramids of Giza
Giza, Egypt
The Pyramids have witnessed a heavy traffic in this sightseeing area for centuries, but the pollution and great number of visitors have caused damage to the ancient structures, which are not protected by Egyptian officials. Although camel and horseback tours are now banned from the site, the structures are still difficult to see through the crowds and vendors.
1．What can be done to prevent the glaciers in Glacier National Park from decreasing?| A．Preventing global warming tendency. | B．Preserving the primitive wilderness. |
| C．Abandoning glacier-fed lakes. | D．Regulating the park well. |
| A．A renewed destination. | B．A primitive spot. |
| C．A historical site. | D．An underwater city. |
| A．They have Islamic architecture. |
| B．They appeal to many visitors. |
| C．They are closed by tourism officials. |
| D．They suffer from severe air pollution. |
Good afternoon, my fellow students. I am Li Hua, host of Voice of the Campus today.
Li Hua
Most of us haven’t been taught how to apologize. That’s
When you’re apologizing for something, it’s critical to show true sorrow and regret. It feels
Your attention when apologizing should be on the impact of your words or deeds, not on your
An apology isn’t the only chance you ever get to address the underlying issue. The apology is the chance you get to establish the ground for future communication. When
In 2014, Mom wanted to live closer to us. My husband, Kevin, and I found a lovely
I asked Kevin. “Do you think I complain a lot?” Kevin hesitated a few seconds before saying no. I realized that the family nature of complaining had taken
I decided to keep a better watch on my
A few days later, I received from my friend Torry a
The next morning, I
Over the next few months, as I
Looking for things to be thankful for
| A．hospital | B．school | C．apartment | D．garden |
| A．called | B．invited | C．asked | D．forced |
| A．root | B．shape | C．place | D．efforts |
| A．health | B．tongue | C．weight | D．attitude |
| A．method | B．chance | C．success | D．growth |
| A．scared | B．excited | C．relaxed | D．nervous |
| A．necessary | B．powerless | C．possible | D．happy |
| A．book | B．present | C．brochure | D．journal |
| A．thankful | B．eager | C．prepared | D．meant |
| A．received | B．read | C．opened | D．copied |
| A．host | B．trust | C．warn | D．encourage |
| A．Satisfaction | B．Sorrow | C．Inspiration | D．Completion |
| A．refuse | B．overcome | C．update | D．understand |
| A．Honor | B．Adaptation | C．Gratitude | D．Balance |
| A．imagined | B．applied | C．required | D．continued |
| A．addicted | B．blind | C．related | D．used |
| A．dance | B．die | C．grow | D．move |
| A．clarified | B．lifted | C．restored | D．improved |
| A．went | B．replied | C．led | D．connected |
| A．people | B．lessons | C．blessings | D．love |
Reading is an important part of learning English, but many students find it difficult. This collection of tips can be of great help to you.
Read for the main ideas
Read the text a first time to understand the main idea, and don’t look up new words.
Use Context
Context refers to words and situations around a word you don’t understand. Look at the example sentence：
I went to the shlumping to buy some chitla for dinner.
What’s ‘schlumping’? - It must be a store because you bought something there.
What’s ‘chitia’? -
Use Your Own Language
Ask yourself this question：Do I read every word in my own language when I am reading a schedule, or summary?
Understand Different Reading Skills
Here is a quick overview of the four types of reading skills used in every language： skimming, scanning, extensive reading and intensive reading.
You can use these reading skills to improve other areas of English learning, such as pronunciation, grammar and increasing vocabulary.
| A．The answer is most definitely：No! |
| B．You may not be so sure about the answer. |
| C．You can usually understand the general idea. |
| D．Skimming is used to quickly gather the main idea. |
| E．It must be food because you are going to eat it for dinner. |
| F．Scanning is used to find a particular piece of information. |
| G．Words you don’t know may contain important information. |
Masses of ocean plastic are providing artificial habitat (栖息地) for otherwise coastal species, according to a new study published in Nature Communications. The study’s authors observed floating water bottles, old toothbrushes and waste fishing nets. The possibility exists that species may be evolving to better adapt to life on plastic.
A decade ago, marine researchers believed coastal species could not survive a trip across the inhospitable open ocean. Yet Japan’s 2011 tsunami (海啸), which sent some 300 species of Asian marine life riding floating plastic garbage onto North American shores, disproved that assumption.
Ocean plastic is “creating opportunities for coastal species’ biogeography to greatly expand beyond what we previously thought was possible”, Linsey Haram, a researcher and co-author of the study, said in a report.
The concept of species-covered plastic may sound like the story of ocean species’ victory in spite of human pollution. But that’s not quite the case, explains Juan José Alava, PhD, an expert at the University of British Columbia. In addition to transporting non-native species to new habitats where they may become invasive and destructive, the plastic is “basically an ecological trap”, says Alava. “That’s because small species on the floating structure may attract bigger animals to come for food. When these creatures enter garbage areas for food, they run a high risk of eating and/or becoming caught in plastic and dying.”
While scientists have found some types of bacteria (细菌) are able to break down plastic, thereby cleaning up garbage, it’s unlikely that the marine animals will have any such effect. “The 2021 UN report was clear that the increasing plastic pollution is putting the health of all the world’s oceans and seas at risk,” says Alava.
1．What does the underlined word “inhospitable” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Easy-to-spot. | B．Up-to-standard. |
| C．Down-to-earth. | D．Hard-to-stay. |
| A．Putting them at greater risk. |
| B．Causing them to grow bigger. |
| C．Enabling them to live in new habitats. |
| D．Freeing them from getting endangered. |
| A．It increases some creatures’ curiosity. |
| B．It causes damage to all marine species. |
| C．It creates habitats for larger creatures. |
| D．It leads to the death of some creatures. |
| A．Ocean plastic must be dealt with. |
| B．It’s OK to throw plastic into the ocean. |
| C．Marine life may adapt to ocean plastic. |
| D．Ocean plastic may be cleaned up soon. |
For Wang Pengfei and Tian Xiaowei, Central Academy of Drama graduates, William Shakespeare’s works were a must-read during their college days. After graduation, they have been working together on Chinese plays with Wang as a producer and Tian as a director.
In 2020, after the coronavirus pandemic(疫情) hit, Tian considered creating a play. Since most of his works were based on classic works, Tian decided to write an original play. This turned out to be a three-hour-long play, titled Will, exploring the life story of Shakespeare.
“When we researched Shakespeare’s own life story, we found that we shared lots of experiences and emotions with him.” says Wang when asked about the inspiration. Tian agrees: “We share the passion for theater. We face problems after we left school, such as looking for job opportunities to make ends meet, and struggling between reality and dreams. We see ourselves through this play, Will.”
With four actors and actresses playing more than 30 roles, the play follows the man, Will, who, at the age of 5, entered the theater of Stratford City Hall by accident and became attached to it. Before adulthood, he went to London to seek his theater dream and launched his career, which brought him fortune and fame(名声). Then in his later years, he returned to Stratford, his hometown and stayed there until his death.
Premiered(首映) on July 22, the play was staged in Beijing and Shenzhen and was warmly received by both audiences and critics. In 2022, it will start a new round of shows in Beijing in April and July and is expected to be watched by about 13,000.
When asked about the feeling, Wang says, “Both Tian and I felt like returning to our school days when we fully devoted into creating plays and were not distracted. It felt great.”
1．What do we know about Tian?| A．He knew little about Shakespeare. | B．He adapted a play from classics. |
| C．He has teamed up with Wang. | D．He has served as a producer. |
| A．What made them create Will. | B．How they drafted Will. |
| C．The necessity of watching Will. | D．The introduction to Will. |
| A．By making a comparison. | B．By following the time order. |
| C．By giving various examples. | D．By analyzing cause and effect. |
| A．Bringing Shakespeare to life | B．Shakespeare’s influence on China |
| C．The popularity of Shakespeare | D．Saying hello to Shakespeare |
As a housewife, I had Kransky, our dog, for almost two years. One day when I was calling my mum, Kransky was sniffing a mole (痣) on my right leg with his wet nose over and over. I kept laughing and told mum about it. After hearing my explanation, her tone changed. “There’s been research on pets being able to discover illness,” she replied. “Please, book in a skin check.”
But then I just care little about it and didn’t do anything. When she followed up a couple of times though, I made an appointment with my doctor. On seeing the mole on my leg, the doctor insisted it be removed immediately. I was surprised by his seriousness and had the mole removed on the spot. A few days later, the doctor’s office told me that I had a cancerous melanoma (黑色素瘤) and gave me details of a surgeon who would remove it. I made the arrangements and quickly hung up. Tears flowed as anger filled my body. “You’ve left it too late,” I spoke angrily to myself.
My surgery was set for eight weeks’ time, and Kransky was by my side through it all. After the surgery, a doctor advised me to have regular skin checks every three months for years. Thankfully, this meant no chemotherapy (化疗) or radiation. And I often think if Kransky hadn’t found it out, my situation would have been so much worse.
Now, I’m sharing my story to remind others to get skin checks regularly. Not everyone has an angel like Kransky to point out when something’s wrong.
1．What did the mum want her daughter to do?| A．To see a doctor. | B．To take a skin care. |
| C．To abandon the dog. | D．To check into a hospital. |
| A．She refused the doctor’s advice. | B．She met a wrong surgeon. |
| C．She felt rather regretful. | D．She was in high spirits. |
| A．Curious. | B．Honest. | C．Critical. | D．Grateful. |
| A．A movie review. | B．A short story. |
| C．A research paper. | D．A lecture notice. |
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