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视听阅读第二册
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Unit 1
I A D A
II
T
Ｔ
F
Ｆ
F
III
1 Studies
have shown that almost all living things will
eventually become extinct.
2 In many
cases, replacement species emerge over time.
3 Human activity is having a tremendous
negative impact on extinction rates.
4
Some of the world
’
s species
cannot survive without help.
5 Some
groups may have a vested interest in not
protecting certain species.
Understanding Extinction
A
species is considered extinct when careful
scientific surveys show that the last individual
of
that
species
has
died.
The
loss
of
many
species
of
plants
and
animals
has
been
attributed
to
changes in climate,
genetic weaknesses, and human activities such as
hunting and environmental
destruction.
Studies
have
shown
that
almost
all
living
things
will
eventually
become
extinct.
In
fact,
more
than
99
percent
of
the
species
that
have
ever
lived
on
Earth
have
now
disappeared
permanently.
Although this sounds like a terrible situation, it
is important to understand that the
earth
seems
to
recover
from
the
loss
of
great
numbers
of
species.
In
many
cases,
replacement
species emerge over time; however,
extinction does decrease the diversity of life on
the planet in
the short term. These
replacement species often require recovery periods
of millions of years.
Human beings have
had a huge impact on the extinction rates of
various species. Therefore,
scientists
have recently begun to examine
humankind
’
s effects on the
numbers of species that have
become
extinct.
Through
the
use
of
geographical
and
biological
research,
a
“
background
extinction
rate
”
has
been
established.
These
figures
show
the
numbers
of
species
which
have
disappeared
during
the
specific
time
period.
By
comparing
rates
of
extinction
before
and
after
human
existence,
researchers
were
able
to
discover
the
exact
effects
of
humankind
on
nature.
Studies now cite
that the extinction rates after human life began
are 100 to 1000times greater than
before human influence on Earth. Future
rates are forecasted to be even higher. This
demonstrates
the tremendous negative
impact that human activity is having on extinction
rates.
Scientists
are
currently
researching
methods
of
dealing
with
this
astonishing
trend.
As
individuals, educators,
and governments try to manage species survival,
one key factor they find is
that
without help, some of the
world
’
s species can not
survive. In addition, scientists must learn to
make difficult decisions based on
incomplete information. They must also deal with
groups that
may
have
a
vested
interest
in
not
protecting
certain
species.
For
example,
people
interested
in
developing oil fields in
the Arctic may not think the protection of the
wildlife in the region is of
primary
importance.
Unit 2
I
1 0.6, 0.8
2 1.4, 5.8
3 100
4 1473
5 2008
II
1
Greenhouse
gases
are
produced
by
car
and
truck
exhaust,
factory
smoke,
and
the
burning
of
certain substances for heat and light.
2 The effects of global warming will
most likely appear in animal populations first
3 Environmental groups not only
governmental ones but also private groups, are
working towards
this goal.
4
The
United
Nations
has
organized
international
gatherings
to
approach
this
problem,
and
has
produced a document known as the
“
Kyoto
Protocol
”
.
5
The
serious
drawback
of
the
“
Kyoto
Protocol
”
is
that
this
document
doe
sn’t
include
strict
enforcement procedures for implementing
the program.
III 1D
2B
3A
4C
A flowering
B nesting
C annual
D
mating
Climate Change: Not Only a Human
Worry
New York, June 4
In
the
past
century,
the
earth
’
s
temperature
has
risen
by
approximately
0.6
to
0.8
degrees
Celsius.
Scientists
believe
that
this
is
the
result
of
an
enhanced
greenhouse
effect, which
is
the
process by
which the earth
maintains its
temperature.
Recently, a
rise in certain types of gases,
such as carbon dioxide (CO2), has
increased the amount of heat trapped near the
earth
’
s surface by
the
effect.
This
increase
has
resulted
in
an
insulating
and
warming
of
the
planet.
These
problematic gases, or
“
greenhouse
gases
”
, come from car and
truck exhaust, factory smoke, and
the
burning of certain substances for heat and light.
If alternative methods of producing energy are
not found soon, the
earth
’
s temperature will
likely rise between 1.4 and 5.8 degrees Celsius by
the
end of the
21
st
century.
Extreme
temperature
changes,
such as
those projected over
the
next
100
years,
could
be a
serious threat to the human
environment. However, the effects of global
warming will most likely
appear
in
animal
populations
first.
In
fact,
certain
changes
have
already
been
observed.
For
example, early thaws in the ice of the
Bering Sea have affected the mating season of
several types
of
seals.
Certain
species
of
birds
are
changing
their
nesting
patterns
as
well.
Certain
plants
are
flowering
earlier,
and
other
large
animals
are
changing
their
annual
periods
of
sleeping
and
waking.
According
to
Stanford
University,
global
warming
has
directly
resulted
in
biological
changes to 1473 species around the
world.
Environmental groups, both
governmental and private, are currently working to
decrease the
amount
of
dangerous
gases,
or
“
emissions
”
,
released
each
year.
One
of
the
first
international
gatherings
organized by the United Nations to approach the
problem produced a document which
eventually became known as the
“
Kyoto
Protocol
”
. Its aim was to
stabilize greenhouse gas levels
to
prevent dangerous changes in the
world
’
s climate. The
agreement set limits on the amounts of
greenhouse
gases
that
each
participating
nation
could
release
each
year.
Unfortunately,
the
agreement
didn’t
include strict enforcement procedures for
implementing the program, and as of
2008,
several
countries
only
participate
in
the
plan
on
a
reporting
basis.
Others,
including
the
United States, have refused to sign the
document.
Unit 3
I B
Ｄ
F
II distinctive, cultivate, emerge,
harvested, temperature, adequate, regular
III
1 Other areas are fast
becoming important players in this lucrative game.
2 The world
’
s
second best-known supplier of truffles after
France is Italy.
3 Alba is best known
for its white truffles.
4 Other
countries, including Spain and Sweden, also
produce truffles.
5 Australian
production is increasing year by year.
Truffle Farming
When you
think about where truffles come from, you probably
picture a small town in the
south of
France. While the French countryside does produce
much of the world
’
s supply
of truffles,
other areas are fast
becoming important players in this lucrative game.
A difficult undertaking
The
situation
is
clear:
truffles
can
’
t
be
grown
just
anywhere.
They
must
be
grown
near
or
under
trees
since
scientists
believe
that
this
is
what
produces
their
distinctive
flavor.
It
is
also
extremely difficult to
cultivate them the way one would grow other crops.
This special product
doesn
’
t appear in
the spring and summer, but emerges only in the
fall and winter. Black truffles,
which
are the best-known of the French truffles, can be
harvested only form November through
March.
White
truffles
appear
only
from
September
through
early
January.
Furthermore,
the
weather conditions, such as the
temperature, must be just right and the amount of
rainfall must be
adequate
for
the
truffles
to
grow
properly.
Due
to
these
challenges,
very
few
farmers
have
mastered the skill of successfully
planting and harvesting truffles on a regular
basis.
Truffles from Italy
The world
’
s
second best-known supplier of truffles after
France is Italy. The Piedmont region
near the city of Alba is the center of
the Italian truffle business. There, truffles are
sold in their
original form and are
also used in pastas, flavored olive oils and
breads. Alba is best known for its
white truffles, which many people feel
have a finer and more interesting flavor than
black truffles.
Truffles
are
so
important
in
Alba
that
there
has
been
a
truffle
festival,
which
lasts
for
several
weeks,
every
year
since
1899.
Thousands
of
truffle
lovers
arrive
in
Alba
each
fall
to
enjoy
the
celebration and the scenery, and most
importantly, to sample the truffles.
Other sources of truffles
Other countries, including Spain,
Sweden, New Zealand, Australia, the U. K., and the
U.S.
also
produce
truffles.
Currently
Australian
truffle
growers
are
working
hared
to
increase
their
share of the worldwide market.
Scientists there have analyzed the soils, rainfall
levels, and types
of
trees
available
in
order
to
maximize
their
production
and
produce
the
finest
tasting
truffles
possible. In
certain parts of Australia, growing conditions are
very close to those of the south of
France and production is increasing
year by year.
Unit 4
I F F T T F
II
1 They can be found almost everywhere
including northern Europe, East Asia, and South
America.
2 They may regard a human in
the water as a threat to their safety.
Sometimes in murky water,
they may mistake a human for a natural
prey or a wounded animal which make an easy meal.
3 Because they almost always swim away
immediately after biting.
III
1 However, these attacks average only a
single death per year.
2 The truth is
that incidences of shark attacks are actually very
rare.
3 In fact, humans kill more
sharks each year than sharks kill people.
4 Almost all studies show that shark
attacks are the exception, not the rule.
5 When a shark attacks a human, it is
not a calculated choice.
Welcome to Shark Central
Shark Central is a website committed to
reducing the world
’
s fear of
sharks.
Dangerous sharks: where are
they?
Dangerous sharks can be found
almost everywhere including northern Europe, East
Asia, and
South
America.
Of
the
total
number
of
types
of
sharks
in
the
world,
very
few
are
actually
associated with human injury. The
coastal areas in Australia host a diverse number
of sharks, to
which several attacks on
humans per year are attributed. However, these
attacks average only a
single death per
year. The east and west coasts of the United
States also report between 20 and 40
shark attacks each year. However, these
areas have thousands of miles of beaches and a
very large
population of people who use
them during their free time. We have invaded the
sharks
’
domain,
and they may not know how to deal with
this.
Why do sharks attack humans?
The truth is that incidences of shark
attacks are actually very rare. In fact, humans
kill more
sharks each year than sharks
kill people. Considering the millions of sharks
and millions of people
in the
world
’
s oceans, the 71
proven attacks on humans in 2008 seems to be an
extremely small
number. Although the
number of shark attacks is rising slightly each
year, researchers attribute this
to the
human population growth. They feel it is a result
of the fact that more people are spending
time in the
water
—
not an increasingly
dangerous shark population. Almost all studies
show that
shark attacks are exception,
not the rule.
Why
don
’
t sharks leave us alone
When a shark attacks a human, it is not
a calculated choice. It
’
s
usually a mistake. When they
see hands
moving and feet kicking, it looks like either a
threat to their safety, or a wounded animal
which would make an easy meal.
Sometimes in murky water, a shark may mistake a
human for a
penguin, seal or other
natural prey. The fact that they almost always
swim away immediately after
biting
seems to indicate that sharks do not purposely
purse and attack humans.
Imagine that!
Sharks never run out of teeth: if one
is lost, another tooth moves forward from the rows
of reserve
teeth.
Sometimes
sharks eat other sharks, however not all sharks
eat meat.
One big meal can last a shark
for over three months.
Two-thirds of a
shark
’
s brain is linked to
its sense of smell.
Unit 5
I
T
Ｆ
F
Ｔ
F
II
1 welcomed, experience
2 special, decorations
3
familiarize, inhabitants
4 assigned
5 treat illnesses
6
schedule, tough
7 touch the ground
8 cultural ambassador
1A
2 C
3 B
4A
5B
6D
7 C
8D
A April 3
B April6
C April 12
D
April 14
Daily Journal 2008
April 3
Well, here I am in
Chengdu, China! After I joined the teaching
exchange program, I was a
little
nervous
about
my
year
abroad,
but
this
is
a
great
opportunity.
I’
ve
been
assigned
a
job
teaching English and American culture
at a local school here. The program has also
arranged for
me to live with someone
from the area, the Li family. I feel so welcome in
their home and now I
can experience
typical Chinese life fist hand.
April 6
I’
m glad I have
a couple of weeks to get used to things before I
start teaching; things here are
pretty
different
from
back
home!
One
of
the
sons
in
my
host
family,
Xiaoping
who
is
14,
has
taught me a lot, though.
We take long walks every day to help me
familiarize myself with the town
and
its inhabitants. Yesterday we passed a man who was
selling little red bags of what looked like
nuts. Xiaoping told me they were
traditional Chinese medicines. He said some people
in the area
use various plants to treat
illnesses. For example, part of a local flower is
used to treat coughs.
Amazing!
April 12
Today was the
wedding of the oldest daughter in my host family
Meiyu, to Zhifeng and I was
invited
to
attend
as
a
special
guest.
At
about
10:00
in
the
morning,
a
car
covered
with
red
decorations
arrived
and
Meiyu
was
carried
out
to
it.
Xiaoping
explained
that
her
feet
must
not
touch the ground until
she reached Zhifeng
’
s house.
The actual wedding ceremony was short and
simple, but the wedding dinner was just
the opposite as I have never seen so much food in
my life!
What a great day!
April 14
I just got my new
schedule for school and it is going to be rough! I
have to be there at 8:00 in
the morning
and sometimes I
don’t
go
home until 5:00 at night. Teaching is always a
difficult way
to make a living,
nevertheless I think it
’
s
worth it. In my case,
I’
ll
really have a chance to serve as
a
cultural ambassador for my home country and
I
’
m sure that
I’
ll be able to broaden my
student
s’
horizons
—
as well
as my own. This is going to be a wonderful year!
Unit 6
I 1B
2C
3E
4A
5 D
II
1 Saturday evening
2 transformation
3 delicious dinner
4 people walk by
5 achievement
6 Tuesday
7 riding skills
8 in action
9
impressive
10 saw the
waterfalls
11 a rain forest