San Francisco, a leader in urban recycling, is preparing to turn dog waste into energy.
Norcal Waste System Inc., the city’s largest garbage company, plans to test collection carts(回收车)and collection bags in a city-center park which is popular with dog walkers.
A city study found that almost 4 percent of all the garbage picked up at San Francisco homes was from animal waste, Norcal Waste spokesman Robert Reid said. San Francisco has about 120,000 dogs.
“The city asked us to start a program to recycle dog waste in order to cut back adding more waste in landfills(废渣埋填池) “,Reid said.
Dog waste will be poured into a methane digester(沼气池),and the methane it gives off will be collected and burned to make electricity or to heat homes.
“Dogs and cats in the United States produce about 10 million tons of waste a year,” Will Brinton, an environmental scientist said.
“As much as we love them, our pets leave a lot of fertilizer behind them in yards and on the street but that can be a major source of contamination of groundwater,” Brinton said.
European cities such as Zurich, Frankfurt, Munich and Vienna are starting biology programs to turn waste into gas ,he said.
San Francisco runs a great program to recycle bottles, cars, paper and other rubbish and now two-thirds of its garbage needn’t be carried to landfills .The city’s goal is a 75 percent drop by 2010 and zero new waste in landfills by 2020.
【小题1】San Francisco will plan to use dog waste for making __________.
| A.fertilizer | B.gas | C.electricity | D.methane |
| A.Increase | B.Reduction | C.Flow | D.Pollution |
| A.San Francisco is short of electricity |
| B.San Francisco has done a lot of in rubbish recycling. |
| C.Fewer people will keep dogs as pets in San Francisco |
| D.There will be no rubbish by 2010 in San Francisco |
| A.San Francisco ‘s new policy for pet keepers |
| B.San Francisco ‘s new plan for recycling |
| C.how to keep a city clean |
| D.how to deal with rubbish |
The marine environment is fascinating to study and work in due to its beauty, richness, and complexity. It covers three quarters of the surface of the Earth, yet we know more detail about the surface of Mars.
In the past, it was seen as both an inexhaustible resource and a bottomless sink for our wastes. Yet the increasing pressures of overpopulation, pollution and the threat to our natural environment mean that there is an increasing need for scientists who can understand how it all works, how it affects us, and how we are affecting it from global warming through to the smallest plankton.
From local issues to global concerns, we now know that the marine environment is inextricably linked to our lives, and to our future survival. It is an area where much remains to be discovered, and where only a multidisciplinary approach can cover the breadth of issues to be confronted. This is the approach taken on our Marine Environmental Science degree course.
This course takes a multi-disciplinary approach to explore and understand the marine environment. After an initial grounding in basic science, optional choices are available in specialist topics such as marine ecosystems and pollution, coastal navigation and oceanography, among others.
Our new harbor side marine laboratory is used for some of the specialist lectures, laboratory and project work, while a week's residential field course in the Isle of Man provides training to prepare for the research project conducted in your final year. There is an optional trip to Belize in the final year to study tropical marine environments.
【小题1】 From the passage, we can infer that ______.
| A.people waste a lot of resource |
| B.marine environment covers 3/4 of the surface of Mars |
| C.marine environment is beautiful for its sufficient resources |
| D.the Earth is similar to Mars |
| A.the relationship between people’s actions and natural environment |
| B.the relationship between people’s actions and pollution |
| C.the relationship between people’s actions and overpopulation |
| D.the relationship between people’s actions and plankton |
| A.we can choose some issues as optionally as we can |
| B.we have practiced the approach for a long time |
| C.the approach is linked to our future survival |
| D.the approach covers a lot of problems we will meet |
| A.1 | B.2 | C.3 | D.4 |
A. make lectures about the issues to be confronted
B. provide training to get ready to do research project
C. take several days residential field in the Isle
travel to Belize to study tropical marine environments
Answers:
Against the assumption that forest fires in Alaska, Canada and Siberia warm the climate, scientists have discovered that cooling may occur in areas where burnt trees allow more snow to mirror more sunlight into space.
This finding suggests that taking steps to prevent northern forest fires to limit the release of greenhouse gases may warm the climate in northern regions. Usually large fires destroyed forests in these areas over the past decade. Scientists predict that with climate warming, fires may occur more frequently over next several centuries as a result of a longer fire season. Sunlight taken in by the earth tends to cause warming, while heat mirrored back into space tends to cause cooling.
This is the first study to analyze all aspects of how northern fires influence climate. Earlier studies by other scientists have suggested that fire in northern regions speed up climate warming because greenhouse gases from burning trees and plants are released into the atmosphere and thus trap heat.
Scientists found that right after the fire, large amounts of greenhouse gases entered the atmosphere and caused warming. Ozone(臭氧)levels increased, and ash from the fire fell on far-off sea ice, darkening the surface and causing more radiation from the sun to be taken in. The following spring, however, the land within the area of the fire was brighter than before the fire, because fewer trees covered the ground. Snow on the ground mirrored more sunlight back into space, leading to cooling.
“We need to find out all possible ways to reduce the growth of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.” Scientists tracked the change in amount of radiation entering and leaving the climate system as a result of the fire, and found a measurement closely related to the global air temperature. Typically, fire in northern regions occurs in the same area every 80 to 150 years. Scientists, however, found that when fire occurs more frequently, more radiation is lost from the earth and cooling results. Specifically, they determined when fire returns 20 years earlier than predicated, 0.5 watts per square meter of area burned are soaked up by the earth from greenhouse gases, but 0.9 watts per square meter will be sent back into space. The net effect is cooling. Watts are used to measure the rate at which energy is gained or lost from the earth.
【小题1】According to the new findings, taking steps to prevent northern forest fires may _______.
| A.result in a warming climate |
| B.cause the forest fires to occur more frequently |
| C.lead to a longer fire season |
| D.protect the forests and the environment there |
| A.analyze |
| B.indicate that forest fires will pollute the atmosphere |
| C.suggest that people should take measures to protect environment |
| D.suggest that the fires will speed up climate warming |
| A.released | B.absorbed | C.created | D.disturbed |
| A.warm the climate as the assumption goes |
| B.allow more snow to reflect more sunlight into space and thus cool the climate |
| C.destroy large areas of forests and pollute the far-off sea ice |
| D.help to gain more energy rather than release more energy . |
Do you want to live another 100 years or more? Some experts say that scientific advances will one day enable humans to last tens of years beyond what is now seen as the natural limit of the human life span.
“ I think we are knocking at the door of immortality (永生),” said Michael Zey, a Montclair State University business professor and author of two books on the future. “ I think by 2075 we will see it and that’s a conservative estimate.”
At the conference in San Francisco, Donald Louria, a professor at New Jersey Medical School in Newark said advances in using genes as well as nanotechnology(纳米技术) make it likely that humans will live in the future beyond what has been possible in the past. “ There is a great push so that people can live from 120 to 180 years,” he said. “ Some have suggested that there is no limit and that people could live to 200 or 300 or 500 years.”
However, many scientists who specialize in aging are doubtful about it and say the human body is just not designed to last about 120 years. Even with healthier lifestyles and less disease, they say failure of the brain and organs will finally lead all humans to death.
Scientists also differ on what kind of life the super aged might live. “ It remains to be seen if you pass 120, you know; could you be healthy enough to have good quality of life?” said Leonard Poon, director of the University of Georgia Gerontology Center. “ At present people who could get to that point are not in good health at all.”
【小题1】By saying “ we are knocking at the door immortality”, Michael Zey means_____.
| A.they believe that there is no limit of living |
| B.they are sure to find the truth about long living |
| C.they have got some ideas about living forever |
| D.they are able to make people live past the present life span |
| A.people can live from 120 to 180 |
| B.it is still doubtful how long humans can live |
| C.the human body is designed to last about 120 years |
| D.it is possible for humans to live longer in the future |
| A.a great push |
| B.the idea of living beyond the present life span |
| C.the idea of living from 200 to 300 |
| D.the conservative estimate |
| A.Living longer or not |
| B.Science, technology and long living |
| C.No limit for human life |
| D.Healthy lifestyle and long living. |
The Red Panda isn’t much bigger than an average size house cat. At first you may think it’s a bear because of its name. They’re actually a member of the raccoon(浣熊) family which you can tell if you look at their appearance. The Red Panda has a long bushy tail that is useful in two ways. It helps them stay balanced when they are high up in the trees and it keeps them warm in cold weather. Their fur is thick and reddish brown, which may be why they’re known as the fire fox.
The Red Panda can be found in forested mountains. They’re originally from the forested mountain in the Himalayas in India, Nepal and Southern China. Bamboo is the most important part of their diet. They only eat the young leaves and shoots (嫩芽) of a bamboo plant. Red Pandas have a very low metabolic(新陈代谢的) rate in order to deal with their low energy diet and cool environmental temperatures.
They’re very shy and gentle and don’t hang around the wild too much during the day. If they feel endangered, they’ll stand on their back legs and make a hissing(嘶嘶) sound. Red Pandas are good climbers and spend most of their time living mainly in trees. Their claws are very strong and help them hold onto the branches. They sleep in an unusual way by curling up tightly and wrapping their tails around their heads while sitting on a branch. Sometimes they’ll sleep with their head beneath their chest and behind their back feet. This is the same position as an American raccoon sleeps.
【小题1】You can tell that the Red Panda is a member of the raccoon family from ____.
| A.its name | B.its appearance | C.its diet | D.its living place |
| A.The Red Panda can only be found in India, Nepal and Southern China. |
| B.The Red Panda’s tail can help it stay balanced when it is high up in the trees. |
| C.The Red Panda eats the whole of the bamboo. |
| D.The Red Panda has high metabolic rate when the temperature is low. |
| A.They will hang around the wild during the day. |
| B.They will climb into the trees. |
| C.They will wrap their tails around their heads. |
| D.They will stand on their back legs and make a hissing sound. |
| A.tail | B.fur | C.back legs | D.claws |
There is a brown female(母的) Canadian duck that weighs only four hundred fifty grams. The duck had flown to the southern state of Florida for the winter.A hunter shot it on January fifteenth and took it to his home in the city of Tallahassee.He put it in the refrigerator(冰箱).Two days later the man’s wife opened the refrigerator door.The duck lifted its head and looked at her.It was alive!
The family took the duck to a doctor who treats animals.The doctor gave the duck to the Goose Creek Animal Sanctuary(动物保护区).Animal sanctuaries provide homes for animals and teach people about their care.
The doctor said it was easy to understand why people thought the duck was dead. He said ducks generally do not move a 1ot,especially after being shot.And he said its low body temperature helped it survive in the refrigerator.
That was enough to make the duck famous around the world.The Tallahassee newspaper published the story that was re-printed in many different countries.But that was not the end of the story.
Workers at the wildlife sanctuary named the duck Perky.And they got the doctor to give an operation to repair the duck’s damaged wing.During the operation,Perky stopped breathing--not just once but two times.The doctor tried to save Perky by giving her oxygen.But he finally said the duck had died.A few seconds later, however, Perky began to move.Reports say the people in the operating room were so happy that they cried.
Workers at the wildlife sanctuary say Perky will not have any more operations. It seems the drugs that were used had side-effects on her.Perky is expected to live at the sanctuary.And a local company has begun to sell T-shirts showing a picture of the lucky duck. Money from the sale of the shirts will help pay for Perky’s care.
【小题1】Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A.Animal sanctuaries are homes specially for wounded animals. |
| B.The hunter shot the duck in the wing. |
| C.Ducks do not move at all for the whole winter. |
| D.The hunter’s wife intended to free the duck in the refrigerator. |
| A.the duck survived the shot and the cold in the refrigerator |
| B.the hunter had saved the duck by freezing it |
| C.the hunter shot the duck from Canada |
| D.the Tallahassee newspaper published the story |
| A.was big and strong |
| B.flew to Florida for food |
| C.stayed in the refrigerator to keep its body temperature low |
| D.was considered dead before being put in the refrigerator |
| A.Save the Duck | B.The Lucky Duck | C.Stop Killing Ducks | D.The Poor Duck |
| A.the local company will get large profits by selling the T-shirts |
| B.it was illegal for me hunter to shoot the duck |
| C.the duck is likely to be well cared for in the sanctuary |
| D.Perky likes Florida better than Canada |
Humans have observed and explored the oceans since ancient times.But it wasn’t until the 19th century that the scientific study of oceans began.The first major scientific expedition,and the one that firmly established the field of oceanography,was the around-the-world voyage of H.M.S. Challenger.Setting out from England in 1872,the Challenger spent almost three and a half years gathering a wealth of information about seawater,sea life,and the ocean floor.Major oceanographic expeditions since then have included the South Atlantic voyage of the German ship Meteor in 1926 and the Deep-Sea Drilling Project from 1968 to 1983.Many individuals also have played important roles in advancing our understanding of oceans,beginning with Matthew Fontaine Maury in the mid-1800s;his work on oceanography and navigation led to a uniform system of weather reporting at sea.Since Maury’s time,oceanography has progressed rapidly.Early oceanographers had to contend themselves with tossing buckets overboard to see what they might haul in.Today’s oceanographers are equipped with space images,supercomputer models,and deep-sea robots that can crawl along the seafloor.As they set goals for the future,some oceanographers even dream of doing research in permanently manned stations on the bottom of the oceans.
【小题1】Which of the following statements is true?
| A.Humans didn’t explore the oceans until the 19th century. |
| B.Maury first established the field of oceanography. |
| C.Maury spent a lot of time in studying seawater,sea life,and the bottom of the ocean. |
| D.Many individuals also plays a very important part in advancing our understanding of oceans,such as Maury. |
| A.Four. | B.Three. | C.Five. | D.Two. |
| A.The process of the oceanography has stopped at one time. |
| B.Maury’s work on oceanography contributes a lot to weather reporting at sea. |
| C.Nowadays the equipment for studying the oceans needs improving,because it is out of date. |
| D.The expeditions in the past had great difficulty and made a lot of efforts in order to study the oceans. |