综合写作:
1.探讨游客到Northwest Passage的cruise是否会有潜在的风险
阅读:存在三方面的风险
① 冰川和ice sheet 不易被察觉和躲避,从来带来了危险。
② engine 释放的soot 会留在雪和冰上,对环境不友好。
③ 影响当地居民生活。
听力反驳:
① 有research ships 和helicopter 探路,从而能够避开冰川。
② 可以采用新的fuel,从而不产生soot。
③ 采用小船,从而有更少的人抵达,并且游客分成小组,每个小组只能参观一个community,不仅不影响当地人的生活,还能促进经济。
2. 关于长颈恐龙(Sauropoda)的脖子一般是横着的(horizontal)还是竖着的(vertical)。
阅读:提出三个理由支持长颈恐龙(Sauropoda)的脖子是横着的(horizontal, or beam-like):
① 骨骼化石连接起来(reconstruction bones)是横着的;
② 必须很高的血压(powerful hearts and very high blood pressure)才能把血液供到大脑和循环;
③ 不利于生物种群间的竞争,抬着脖子够树叶太高了消耗能量,水平的话则节省能量,吃到近地面的植物。
Reading:
The Sauropod(长颈恐龙) was one of the tallest and largest dinosaurs yet found. It had a long neck, small head,and relatively short, thick tail. Several anatomical() features enabled this big creature(动物,生物) to survive and thrive(繁荣,兴盛,茁壮成长)- the extreme elongated(瘦长的,细长的) neck especially. In order to move freely with such large-sized body, its neck bones are arranged horizontally(水平的,横着), or beam-like(横梁状的), for three reasons.
According to the excavation(挖掘) of the fossils, the cervical(颈部的) vertebrae(椎骨,脊椎),or neck bones are structured horizontally for supporting the heavy weight to move freely.
The Sauropod needed to have large, powerful hearts and very high blood pressure in order to pump blood up the long neck to the head and brain, which is approximately 15 times the size of the hearts of whales of similar size. The heads and brains of the Sauropod were held high above its heart. This presents a problem in blood-flow engineering, so a horizontal positioned neck bones were a must.
With the long-neck anatomical(解剖的) structure, it would take up too many calories to consume leaves or cones(松树或冷杉的球果) for the upper section of conifers(松柏类,针叶树,球果类植物). This behavior would take up roughly half of its energy intake. In addition, the neck of the Sauropod was really immobile(固定的,稳定的,不变的). So it has to be horizontal for them to move to the lower position of the tree for food, being not always has to reach food in the upper section of the tree.
听力:反驳(三种方法都有缺点)
① 脖子除了骨骼还有肌肉(muscles)去质撑颈子的重量,且其实颈腔中充满空气,所以并没有想象的那么重;
② 用鸵鸟(Ostrich)的例子去说明,鸵鸟有同样情况长颈小头, 但发展了一个强劲的心脏,促进血液输送到neck and head;
③ 下面树叶还有其他的类型的恐龙竞争(too competitive),而长颈恐龙的脖子的构造就是为了使它们能够到高出的食物,且高处食物是其他动物吃不到的。
Listening (The professor disagrees with such claim that the neck is held vertically or upright for several reasons):
Aside from neck bones in the structure, the neck in the anatomy(骨骼) also has muscles to sustain the heavy weight, so a membranous(膜的) structure called, valves(阀门,气嘴), a hollow(中空的) organ or passage(通道) in an artery(动脉,血管) that help prevent the back-flow of blood. In addition, pneumaticity(动物气窝,气腔),cavities(腔) filled with air in the bone, was developed for the long neck and this facilitated the use of air to pump up the blood. It also means the neck would not be as heavy as most people think because it has much air in it, so it can be vertically positioned in the structure.
Another case can show that the neck bone structure is a vertical device. Ostrich, a large, swift-running flightless bird, can be cited as an example. It has a long bare neck and a small head as well. In order to use the neck in its fullest for survive. The function of heart has so much improved and evolved that it helps up blood transmitted to the neck, as well as the head to sustain the heavy weight.
It took much energy to use the heavy neck for food in the upper section of the tree by calculation. However, they were naturally built for reaching for leaves growing in the upper section in the food chain. The lower section of the tree, the bush and vegetation for example, were too competitive. Not, after all, all the creatures were as large as the Sauropod, which was consuming the other parts of the food in evolution. Besides, they could consume great energy by the abundance of food source that no many other creatures could deprive of(剥夺,夺走).
3. 维京人(vikings)为什么会离开格陵兰岛(Greenland)
阅读:提出三种假设
① 气候变化(climate change),无法进行耕作(farming),导致饥饿(starvation)
② 维京人被别的种族驱赶(conflict group)
③ 与欧洲的贸易路线被挪威限制(was forbidden by Norway)
听力:
① 维京人的主食(staple)是鱼,而且有证据显示,与鱼没有收到气候变化的影响;
② 考古学家说,维京人离开的时候带走了所有珍贵的物品,如果有外族驱赶,那么应该没有时间去收拾行李
③ 经过挪威的是合法贸易路线,有一条非法的贸易路线是直接连通格陵兰和欧洲,并且这条非法路线经常被使用。有文件曾经说过挪威国王曾多次抱怨这条非法线路。
4. Caroline bays是否是由于meteorites的撞击形成的。
阅读:Caroline bays是一些circular or oval形状的depressions(低洼处),很多人认为Caroline bays是由于meteorites的撞击形成的。理由如下:
① Caroline bays中的depressions形状不对称,一边的沙子比另一边的沙子高;
② White sand里没有iron,因为explosion的高温使得iron没有了;
③ 可以发一些b,对他的测试证明有explosion。
听力反驳,认为阅读中所提到的原因都不能证明:
① 教授认为撞击不是唯一的原因,低洼不对称还有可能是水流造成的,而且可能性更大,因为全部东北的rims都比西南高;
② 这样的高温会产生glass,但并没有找到,所以有可能是别的原因比如chemical;
③ b只在很少的地方发现,其他没有lighting也会引起b的产生。
5. Three possible theories of why sturgeon fish jump into the air.
阅读:三种可能解释
① 它们以在空中的昆虫为食;
② 它们想要大规模地清除寄生生物;
③ 当游客驾驶小船侵入它们的领地时,它们会变得非常具有侵略性。
听力反驳:
① 当它们在冬季捕食充分的时候,当到了夏季它们就不会进食,而且它们是从海平面这样的低位置进食的;
② 大多数危险的寄生生物是位于身体内部的,而不是在身体之外;
③ 人类的侵入是很偶然的事情,即使没有人类的侵入,它们也依然会跳出水面。
6. 一项禁止外来动物的法律(US will issue a new law to restrict importing, selling nonnative animals.)
阅读:不同意这项法律
① 很多现在养宠物的人会被迫交出他们的宠物(be forced to turn their pet over to the authorities);
② 这项法案会花很多钱(the law is too expensive to implement.)
③ 即使有些生物有危害,但由于它们的寿命不长,所以没有危害(Brazil rabbits cannot stand the cold weather in the north so they cannot breed.)。
听力:持反驳论点。
① 现在养宠物的人不会交出他们的宠物,法律生效后,他们只是不能够再购买这些宠物的同类了。(it is only importing and selling new members are restricted, pet owners won’t be affected.);
② 这项法案所花费的钱比起治理生物危害所花的钱要少的多,而且这个钱花的更值得。(it’s worth it.)比如当地有一种蛇,对当地的物种构成威胁(destroyed many other species.)政府不得不花更多的钱去迁移这一物种(the cost to remove the python is even greater and the loss of other species cannot be compensated);
虽然动物不长寿,但是它们能够传播疾病(transmit diseases)比如有一种兔子,就传播了疾病给当地的兔子,使当地99%的兔子受到危害(Brazil rabbits carries “m”virus and can be transmitted to other animals. 99% of local animals have died.)。