题目内容

If you read a newspaper or listen to a newscast recently, you may hear or read a strange word, “staycation”. Staycation is 1. new word the American press is using 2. (describe) vacation very close to your own home, 3. simply staying at home during your vacation. It is a combination (合成) of the words “stay” and “vacation”.

According to many news reports, these staycations are very popular among American families this year. Why? The high price of gasoline for cars and airplanes has made it very costly for Americans to travel 4. (compare) to past years. When you combine this with the weak American dollar, it all adds up to people deciding to stay close to home 5. their traditional summer vacations. Without doubt, some places are more 6. (interest) to “stay at home” than others. And if you live in a very small town, well, you may just want to skip your vacation and save your time up to next year.

Everything is increasingly 7. (expense) nowadays, and let’s face it --- a vacation just may not be in your plan this year. You don’t have to give up family fun just because you can’t get away; instead, follow my tips for an 8. (economy) staycation filled with old favorites and new adventures! Staycations have 9.(achieve) high popularity in modern society in which 10. (employ) levels and gas prices are high.

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Forget Cyclists, Pedestrians are Real Danger

We are having a debate about this topic. Here are some letters from our readers.

■Yes, many cyclists behave dangerously. Many drivers are disrespectful of cyclists. But pedestrians are probably the worse offenders.

People of all ages happily walk along the pavement with eyes and hands glued to the mobile phone, quite unaware of what is going on around them. They may even do the same thing while crossing a road at a pedestrian crossing or elsewhere. The rest of us have to evade (避让) them or just stand still to wait for the unavoidable collision.

The real problem is that some pedestrians seem to be, at least for the moment, in worlds of their own that are, to them, much more important than the welfare of others.

——Michael Horan

■I love the letter from Bob Brooks about cyclists (Viewpoints, May 29). I am afraid they seem to think they own the roads.

I was walking across Altrincham Road one morning when a cyclist went round me and on being asked what he was doing he shouted at me.

The government built a cycle lane on the road but it is hardly used.

The police do nothing. What a laugh they are!

The cyclists should all have to be made to use the cycle lanes and wear helmets, fluorescent (发荧光的) jacket and lights at night and in the morning they should pay some sort of tax and be fined for not wearing them.

——Carol Harvey

■Cyclists jump on and off pavements (which are meant for pedestrians), ride at speed along the pavements, and think they have a special right to go through traffic lights when they are on red.

I was almost knocked down recently by a cyclist riding on the pavement when there was a cycle lane right next to him.

Other road users, including horse riders, manage to obey the rules so why not cyclists?

It's about time they had to be registered and insured, so when they do hit a pedestrian or a vehicle, or cause an accident, at least they can be treated and there might be an opportunity to claim.

——JML

Write to Viewpoints of the newspaper.

1.Michael Horan wrote the letter mainly to show that _______.

A. drivers should be polite to cyclists

B. road accidents can actually be avoided

C. some pedestrians are a threat to road safety

D. walking while using phones hurts one's eyes

2.Carol Harvey suggests that cyclists should _______.

A. be provided with enough roads

B. be asked to ride on their own lanes

C. be made to pay less tax for cycling

D. be fined for laughing at policemen

3.The underlined word "they" in the third letter refers to ______.

A. accidents B. vehicles

C. pedestrians D. cyclists

4.The three letters present viewpoints on _______.

A. real source of road danger

B. ways to improve road facilities

C. measures to punish road offences

D. increased awareness of road rules

Urban swans might be born with a daredevil gene that makes them less fearful of humans, compared with their rural colleagues.

A study has found swans living in cities tend to be bolder and it is at least partly determined by a gene called DRD4. Birds with this gene could therefore be better adapted to settling in more populated areas, while more timid(胆怯的)swans would escape to less inhabited regions.

It could help to explain why swans in public parks and on urban rivers have a reputation for being so aggressive towards humans - they are simply not afraid of us.

Biologists from some universities in Australia, tracked and collected blood samples from black swans living in two wetlands near cities. One group of swans lived in a recreational urban park, while the other occupied a waste-water processing site out of town. The two areas were less than 20 miles apart. Later, from 2011 through 2013, the researchers started systematically scaring the swans at both sites. The researchers approached the birds and calculated how close they could get before they flew away. As expected, they noticed that while rural swans started flying away if a human was closer than 119 meters, the scientists could come as close to urban swans as 39 meters before taking off.

Analyses of the blood samples, in fact, showed that 83 per cent of the less cautious swans presented the same genetic DRD4 variation(变异)while rural swans have different genetic makeups resulting in more wariness(谨慎,小心).

The researchers conclude that swans with the bold variation of the gene might choose to live in urban environments, as they tend to be less bothered by human presence.

1.The underlined word in paragraph 1 means__________.

A. timid B. cautious

C. bold D. stubborn

2.What’s the difference between rural swans and urban ones?

A. The rural swans carry more DRD4.

B. The urban swans are more friendly.

C. The urban swans are less scared of people.

D. The rural swans are aggressive towards humans.

3.What does DRD4 refer to ?

A. a kind of blood. B. a kind of food.

C. a kind of genetic variation. D. a kind of swan.

4.What does the 4th paragraph mainly talk about?

A. The living habit of swans.

B. The living environment of swans.

C. The contribution of the biologists.

D. The process and result of the research.

UK 5 Days

Today:

A chilly (寒冷的) and frosty start for many this morning, followed by a day of sunshine and local showers. The showers will be slow moving and heavy at times, particularly in the east with a risk of thunder.

Tonight:

Showers will ease this evening and clear spells (一段时间) will develop, causing a widespread frost. However, rain will push into the northwest during the early hours, turning heavy at times.

Friday:

Rain, locally heavy, will continue southwestwards through the day with strong winds. Elsewhere, it will be bright with some sunshine.

UK outlook for Saturday to Monday:

Rain across central parts on Saturday will ease and move northwards. Largely dry elsewhere with some misty sunshine. A mixture of sunshine and showers on Sunday and Monday, turning warmer.

Updated at 04:04 on Thur. 31 Mar.

UK 6-30 days

UK outlook for Tuesday 5 Apr. to Wednesday 13 Apr.:

A generally unsettled picture is likely next week, with showers or longer spells of rain affecting the majority of the UK, but with some drier and sunnier interludes (间歇). Temperatures will probably be around normal for most, but central and southeastern areas may see some warmer air moving up from the continent at times. The week after next will probably continue to be changeable with showers or longer spells of rain crossing the UK, but with some brighter and drier interludes in between. Temperatures may become rather low across the north and northwest later next week.

Updated at 12:36 on Wed. 30 Mar.

UK outlook for Thursday 14 Apr. to Saturday 30 Apr.:

It is likely to be changeable with a mixture of sunny spells and showers. However, some longer drier spells are also likely, particularly in northwestern areas. Overall temperatures will remain around normal for the time of year but with some warmer spells developing at times.

Updated at 12:37 on Wed.30 Mar.

1.The weather of tonight is similar to Friday in that_________

A. it has strong winds. B. it has frosts.

C. it has heavy rain. D. it is mainly sunny.

2.From Saturday to Monday, it may be rainy in the _______.

A. east B. west

C. south D. north

3.What will the weather be like in Britain from April 5 to 13?

A. It will be quite dry. B. It will be rather cold.

C. It will be generally rainy. D. It will be hot in the north.

4.Which part of Britain may have little rain in the second half of April?

A. The southeastern areas. B. The northeastern areas.

C. The northwestern areas. D. The southwestern areas.

Many of us remember being in awe(敬畏) when we saw cloned dinosaurs running wild in the film Jurassic Park. And the idea of using technology to revive(恢复) extinct species has long fascinated not only writers and directors, but scientists as well.

According to The Telegraph, woolly mammoths(长毛猛犸象), which featured in the popular Ice Age animated movie series, “may walk the earth once more” now that scientists have taken another step toward realizing a long-held dream—recreating their DNA.

Mammoths became extinct around 10,000 years ago. However, since the discovery of near-perfect preserved remains in Arctic permafrost(北极冻土带) in May 2013, a variety of research studies have been carried out since.

Geneticists from Harvard University analyzed DNA from the remains, looking for genes which separated mammoths from elephants, such as hairiness and ear size. They then used the results to reproduce exact copies of 14 mammoth genes. “It is the first time that mammoth genes have been alive—although so far it has only been done in the lab,” George Church, lead researcher of the project, told the Sunday Times.

Church then used a new technique which allows scientists to edit DNA carefully, replacing sections of elephant DNA with the mammoth genes. So “we now have functioning elephant cells with mammoth DNA in them,” he said.

However, Church ruled out the possibility of bringing the mammoths back to life via cloning from frozen remains. He said he “preferred to focus on rebuilding the full mammoth genome(基因组) by analyzing DNA from preserved remains and putting it into the cells of its closest living relative – the Asian elephant,” reported The Telegraph.

Church argued that the return of the woolly mammoth—or rather, the return of something very similar—could help bring back fragile(脆弱的) ecosystems. However, some scientists believe that bringing back the mammoth would be unethical.

Professor Alex Greenwood, an expert on ancient DNA, said: “We may face the extinction of African and Asian elephants. Why bring back another elephant from extinction when we cannot even keep the ones that are not extinct around?” he told the Sunday Times. “What is the message? We can be as irresponsible with the environment as we want. Then we’ll just clone things back?”

“Money would be better spent focusing on conserving what we do have than spending it on an animal that has been extinct for thousands of years,” he said.

1.We can learn from the article that ______.

A. cloned mammoths followed cloned dinosaurs to get revived

B. the technology to revive mammoth genes is already mature

C. George Church and his colleagues tried to reproduce mammoth DNA

D. Church and his team managed to list all the genes that separate mammoths from elephants

2.According to Church, what is the significance of his study?

A. It could help prevent the extinction of the Asian elephant.

B. It could help people better tell elephant DNA from mammoth genes.

C. It could help bring back some extinct species and save fragile ecosystems.

D. It could help bring mammoths back to life via cloning from frozen remains.

3.The underlined word “unethical” in Paragraph 7 is closest in meaning to ______.

A. unacceptable B. misled

C. impractical D. illegal

4.According to the article, Professor Alex Greenwood believes that _______.

A. there is no need to worry about the extinction of African and Asian elephants at present

B. it’s necessary to bring back species that are beneficial to human beings from extinction

C. the return of the woolly mammoth would help to balance ecosystems

D. it’s more important to protect present species than to bring back extinct ones

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