What’s Killing the Bats? First it was bees. Now it is bats. Biologists in America are working hard to discover the cause of the mysterious deaths of tens of thousands of bats in the northeastern part of the country.Most of the bats affected are the common little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) , but other species, such as the long-eared bat,the small-footed bat, the eastern pipistrelle,and the Indiana bat have also been affected. In some caves, more than 90 percent of the bat populations have died. One possibility is disease.A white fungus (真菌) known as fusarium has been found on the noses of both living and dead bats.However, scientists don’t know if the fungus is the primary cause of death, a secondary cause of death, or not a cause at all, but the result of some other conditions. Another possible cause is a lack of food.For example, bats typically eat a large number of moths (蛾) , and in some states such as New York, the number of moths has been declining in recent years. If bats can’t eat enough food,they starve to death. Still other scientists believe that global warming is to blame.Warmer temperatures in recent years have been waking up hibernating (冬眠) bats earlier than usual.If bats break their hibernation at the wrong time, they might not find their expected food sources.The weather might also turn cold again and weaken or kill the bats. Scientists might not agree on the causes of the bat die-off, but they do agree on the consequences.Bats are an important predator of mosquitoes;a single brown bat can eat 1 ,000 or more insects in an hour.They also eat beetles and other insects that damage plant crops.If there aren’t enough bats, damage will be great from the insects they eat. While bats live a long time for their size—the little brown bat can live for more than 30 years—a female bat has only one baby per year, so bat populations grow slowly.Many bat species in the United States are already protected or endangered. How can you help? Do not disturb sleeping or nesting bats. If you discover bats that seem to be sick or that are dead, contact your local Fish & Wildlife Department with the details. However, be careful not to touch the animals.

The starving children were a pathetic sight. common unexpected unforgettable pitiful

A salesman’s cardinal rule is to satisfy customers. principal official simple legal

They promote assimilation of ethnic groups into the main-stream culture. policy value equality integration

There was a simultaneous trial taking place in the next building. fair full coexisting public

We were attracted by the lure of quick money. amount supply tempt sum

Teaching Is “One of the Least Popular Jobs in the UK“ 1.The UK government has just published a report on the future of secondary-school teaching (pupils aged 11 - 16) , and the conclusion of the report is that many secondary schools now face great difficulties in finding people who want to be teachers.Since the 1980s, the number of graduates who say they would “ seriously consider“ teaching as a career has fallen sharply, from 64% in 1982 to just 17% today.The report suggests that urgent action needs to be taken in order to encourage more intelligent young graduates into teaching. 2.The main drawback of secondary teaching, according to the report, is the low salary.Earnings in teaching are much lower than in many other jobs, and this means that fewer and fewer young people decide to be teachers.Joanne Manners, 24 is a good example;“I graduated in maths last year, and I was thinking of doing a teacher training course to become a maths teacher, but when I looked into the details, it became clear that teaching isn’t a very lucrative (赚钱的) job these days. I saw I could earn twice as much if I worked in marketing or advertising, and so I decided not to become a teacher.“ 3.It’s not just about the money, however.The survey concluded that another reason why people don’t want to be teachers is that some teenagers behave very badly in school.A lot of schools have problems with discipline, and it seems clear that children do not have the same respect for teachers as in the past.Here’s the view of Dave Hallam, an accountant from London:“ I think parents are to blame.They should have stricter rules with their children at home and also teach their children to have more respect for teachers.“ 4.“I love teaching; it’s my passion.I’ve been a secondary-school teacher of Spanish for ten years now, and although it’s a very demanding job, it’s very satisfying.When I see my students passing their Spanish exams, or singing along to Spanish pop songs,It makes me feel so proud.“ Says Brian Jones, who works in a secondary school in London.So what does he think the government should do to encourage more people to become teachers? “My view is that the government should reduce the burden of work on teachers. I find that I always have too much work to do.“ 5.The report is clear that the problem of teacher shortage is a very serious one.It says that the government should raise teachers’ pay significantly, to catch up with workers in other professions.It also suggests that the government could launch a nationwide publicity campaign, with some advertisements on TV and in the newspapers, to show the positive sides of teaching to young people.Another solution could be set a maximum number of hours per week that teachers can work, in order to reduce stress on teachers.“Hopefully,“the report concludes, “these solutions can improve the poor image of secondary teaching, and increase the number of young people who want to become teachers in the future.“ A.Students’ bad behavior and lack of discipline B.Improvement of children behavior C.Heavy workload on teachers D.The problem of low salary E.A report on teacher shortage F.A nationwide publicity campaign

Is There a Way to Keep the Britain’s Economy Growing In today’s knowledge economy, nations survive on the things they do best.The Japanese design electronics while Germens export engineering techniques.The French serve the best food and Americans make computers. Britain specializes in the gift of talking.The nation doesn’t manufacture much of anything.But it has lawyers, stylists and business consultants who earn their living from talk, talk and more talk.The World Foundation think tank says the UK’s four iconic (标志性的) jobs today are not scientists, engineers, teachers and nurses.Instead, they’re hairdressers, celebrities, management consultants and managers.But can all this talking keep the British economy going? The British government thinks it can. Although the country’s trade deficit was more than ￡60 billion in 2006, UK’s largest in the postwar period, officials say the country has nothing to worry about.In fact, Britain does have a world-class pharmaceutical (制药的) industry, and it still makes a small sum from selling arms abroad.It also trades services—accountancy, insurance, banking and advertising.The government believes Britain is on the cutting edge of the knowledge economy.After all, the country of Shakespeare and Wordsworth has a literary tradition of which to be proud.Rock“n“ roll is an English language medium, and there are billions to be made by their cutting-edge bands.In other words, the creative economy has plenty of strength to carry the British economy. However, creative industries account for only about 4 percent of UK’s exports of goods and services.The industries are finding it hard to make a profit, according to a report of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts.The report shows only 38 percent of British companies were engaged in “innovation activities“ , 3 percentage points below the EU average and well below Germany (61 percent) and Sweden (47 percent). In fact, it might be better to call Britain a“servant“ economy—there are at least 4 million people“ in service“.The majority of the population are employed by the rich to cook, clean, and take care of their children.Many graduates are even doing menial jobs for which they do not need a degree.Most employment growth has been, and will continue to be, at the low-skill end of the service sector—in shops, bars, hotels, domestic service and in nursing and care homes.

The Beginning of American Literature American has always been a land of beginnings.【C1】______Europeans “discovered“ America in the fifteenth century, the mysterious New World became for many people a genuine hope of a new life, an escape from【C2】______and persecution, a chance to start again. We can say that, as nation, America begins with that hope.When,【C3】______, does American literature begin? American literature begins with American experiences. Long before the first colonists arrived , before Christopher Columbus, before the Northmen who“ found“ America about the year 1,000,【C4】______Americans lived here. Each tribe’s literature was【C5】______woven into the fabric of daily life and reflected the unmistakably American experience of lining with the land.【C6】______kind of experience, one filled with fear and excitement, found its expression in the reports that Columbus and other explorers【C7】______home in Spain, French and English. In addition, the journals of the people who lived and died in the New England wilderness tell unforgettable tales of hard and sometimes【C8】______experiences of those【C9】______years. Experience, then, is the key to early American literature. The New World【C10】______a great variety of experiences, and these experiences【C11】______a wide variety of expressions by an even wider variety of early American writers. These writers, included John Smith,【C12】______spent only two-and- a-half years on the American continent.They included Jonathan Edwards and William Byrd, who【C13】______of themselves as British subjects, never【C14】______a revolution that would create a United States of America with a literature of its own.American Indians, explorers, Puritan ministers, frontier wives, plantation owner—they are all the【C15】______of the first American literature.

The Stock Exchange is in turmoil following a huge wave of selling. service danger disorder threat

The procedures were perceived as complex and less transparent. clear necessary special correct

They were locked in mortal combat. deadly open actual active

The organization was bold enough to face the press. pleased powerful brave sensible

Most people find rejection hard to accept. excuse client refusal destiny

She showed a natural aptitude for the work. sense talent flavour taste

Cities “Worse to Live in Than 20 Years Ago“ One thousand people were surveyed about a range of issues which affect cities, and the re markable findings show that life in today’s mega-cities is so stressful that at least two-thirds of those currently living in big cities would like to relocate to the countryside or a small town. The stress of the getting from A to B in big cities is at the top of the list of problems.For many people, the daily commute to work is a source of frustration.40% of the people in the sur vey have suffered from road rage while stuck in traffic on the way to work.The cost of public transport is also a serious problem.Many people think the price of underground and bus travel is too high and that they have to devote more than 10% of their salary to transport costs. The general cost of living in cities is another problem.The high property prices in most big cities put buying a property out of reach of most first-time buyers.Many young people are priced out of the housing market, and have to take in lodgers to make ends meet, or rent over-priced flats miles away from the city centre.In London, for instance, the price of buying even a one-bedroom flat is so prohibitive that many have given up even considering putting money aside for a deposit. Another issue facing people who live in cities is rising crime.Crime rates have rocketed in many big cities, and many say there are several dangerous no-go areas in their city.Fear of crime is on the increase—street crimes, such as mugging and assault, are now very common—and many are afraid of going out at night alone. Many were also concerned by the lack of green spaces and play facilities for children.Most major conurbations(有卫星城的大都市) surveyed have a far smaller number of parks and gar dens than a generation ago.Planning permission seems to have been given for an ever-greater number of supermarkets, office developments and apartments on sites where there were previously green spaces.Many of the respondents in the survey said they felt stressed and suffocated in the city, a problem which is compounded by pollution. And finally, the majority of people in the survey were fed up with the constant noise pollution—the roar of traffic, the sound of loud music blaring (发刺耳声) out of a neighbour’s window, and the constant sound of activity. It is not surprising, then, that the levels of stress-related illnesses among people who live in cities are higher than ever before.Big cities, once a mecca for ambitious people seeking fame and fortune, are now less and less popular among people of all ages.Perhaps the 21st century is set to be the centuiy of the small town and the countryside.

A.discipline problems B.Their childhood memories C.their stress D.more training E.because of its low pay F.Its benefits

The Sandwich Generation Today people often look forward to their middle age as a time when they will be able to take things easier.After their children are grown, they expect to enjoy the life they have worked hard to create.However, the reality is often very different.In middle age, many people discover that they have two ongoing responsibilities: one is to look after their aging parents, and the other is to help their young adult children deal with the pressures of life.Around the world, there are millions of people who are “sandwiched“ in between the older and the younger generations.Sometimes there may be two or three generations living in the same household—a situation that is common in many Asian countries and in some parts of Europe.In other cases, a couple may be taking care of parents and children, but they do not live with them. There are two important reasons for the rise of the sandwich generation.First, people are living longer than they used to.In the early nineteenth century, the average life expectancy for adults in the United States, for example, was about 40, whereas today people live to an average age of 75.Therefore, children are taking care of their parents over a longer period of time.The second reason is that these days, young adults often live with their parents for a longer time than they did in the past.This is often for financial reasons.It’s also more common for today’s young adults to return home during or after college if they need financial or emotional support. Young adults feel sandwiched between their financial responsibilities and their desire to enjoy life.They may have to cover expenses that their parents cannot.They may have to manage their parents’ financial and legal affairs.They may have to prepare for their parents’ future needs, such as special medical care or a move to a nursing home.This can be a traumatic (长期困扰的) experience for everyone. Caring for adult children presents challenges as well, and caregivers have to resolve important questions: How can financial responsibilities be shared among members of the household? How can household chores be shared? What is the best way to ensure everyone’s privacy? Successfully coping with these issues can avoid a lot of stress for the whole family. The financial and emotional pressures on the sandwich generation can be overwhelming.However, this time in life also has its rewards.It can be a time to rediscover the special qualities of one’s parents or children.It can also provide a valuable opportunity to spend more time with them.However, in order to survive this difficult period in their lives, the members of the sandwich generation must remember that they also need to pay attention to their own needs and look after the quality of their own lives. They can’t be totally selfless.

We lived for years in a perpetual state of fear. emotional nervous terrible continuous

I must compliment you on your handling of a very difficult situation. silence praise assure complain

He believes that Europe must change or it will perish. survive last die move

What is the purpose of the last paragraph?

The “moths“ in Paragraph 3 are taken as an example of______.

The word “pipistrelle“ in Paragraph 1 refers to______.

What does the first sentence in Paragraph 1 mean?

What is the main idea of this passage?