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A. ignore B. solution C. reward D. delicate E. paradise F. theory G. destroy H. creature I. wither J. restore K. replace |
Ancient China was a place states were often at war with each other. But it was also a time there were many great philosophers. Confucius is the philosopher _ influence has been the greatest. He stressed the importance of kindness, duty and order in society. Chinese society was influenced by these ideas for more than 2,000 years.
Mencius was a thinker teachings were very similar to those of Confucius. Mencius was born in 372 BC. His father died when he was young, and he was brought up by his mother. He became a student of Confucius's ideas, and was then given an important position in the government of a state. However, when he saw that the ruler was not following his advice, he resigned. For many years he traveled from state to state, teaching the principles of Confucius. He then became an adviser to another ruler. He spent his last years preparing a book of his teachings called The Book of Mencius. Mencius believed that the reason man is different from animals is that man is good. He taught that if the government was kind, then people would be good. He believed that people were more important than rulers, and hated the state when it treated people badly.
Mozi was another teacher was very influential. Born in 476 BC, he came from a family was very poor. He became famous for his unusual clothes and behaviour. Mozi founded the philosophy was called Mohism. In some ways his beliefs were similar to those of Confucius. For example, he considered that government was most important. As a result, he spent many years trying to find a state people would follow his teachings. Mozi believed that all men were equal. His idea of love was different from the Confucian idea of kindness. Mozi taught that we should love all human beings and look after those are weaker than ourselves. He hated the idea of war. Mozi died in 390 BC.
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A. exactly B. requires C. forced D. perfectly E. comfort F. rush G. released H. as I. relates J. asked K. including |
When Michael Wong was young, he was sensitive and shy. It was a huge task for him to talk to a stranger or go downstairs to the shops. But he found 27 through playing the piano.
Recently, the Malaysian piano star his latest album "Never Apart". It's made up of ten catchy songs the title song with the same name. Never Apart tells the story of a couple who are to separate for a while, but they still cherish the beautiful memories they had.
"Music sounds better when it to true feelings" he says
Now, Michael has grown, up to be one of the most popular singers in Taiwan. His slow love songs including First Time and Fairytale are hits with heartbroken young people.
Over the years, he has become bolder and learnt to voice opinions in his music. Once, he was to sing a song someone else wrote. But he didn't like the song lyrics, so he argued they should be changed. "If I broke up with someone, I don't think I would have reacted in the same way the story in the song," he said. I want to tell people how I will behave. "And it works. He says the song sounds better when he can sing it his own way.
Michael is often called the piano prince. He's elegant when he plays and sings along. ＂When I play, inspirations to me like continuous streams. It no effort. ＂ But he still works hard to make his songs appealing. "I'll go over every tiny detail to make the song worth listening to."
The insects are important to farmers. When a honeybee lands on a flower in plant, pollen (花粉) sticks to its legs. When the bee lands on another flower, some of the pollen falls off and fertilizes the second plant.
The act of spreading pollen is responsible for many fruits, vegetables, nuts and other crops. Yet about 30 percent of honeybees in the United States and other areas have died in recent years.
Mike Leggett is a researcher at the University of Maryland. He wants to learn why so many bees are dying. "The number of colonies (蜂群) that die every winter has been one in three. So on average 30 percent of the colonies have died every winter over the last six winters. And that's a huge number. " His research team examined the pollen that honeybees carried to their homes. They found that the pollen contained high levels of 35 different pesticides (杀虫剂), which are chemicals used to protect plants. "Pesticides are used, and have been used, pretty widely, for centuries, to protect plants from diseases," says Mr Leggett.
Keith Oh linger, a farmer and beekeeper in Maryland, has watched many of his bees die every winter. Mr Ohlinger thinks widespread bee death is caused by several things happening at once. But he does not feel sure that pesticides are a part of the problem, "I felt it was the result of a lot of little things. I didn't feel that there was probably one smoking gun. But there's a division (分歧) there, some people feel that it is just one thing. "
Honeybees are important to agriculture. This makes the search for an answer to their death very important for Mr Leggett's team. As he knows, one in every three bites of food we eat is somehow pollinated by honeybees.
Throwing handfuls of bread to birds has long been seen as harmless enough. But in recent years, some scientists have suggested that bread might not do birds' digestive systems any good, saying that as uneaten food rots down, the water quality worsens and algal blooms can occur. Plus, by encouraging birds to gather in one place, the build-up of droppings may result in outbreaks of disease too. Meanwhile, many cities have signs telling us not to feed pigeons and gulls, which are considered an "annoyance" due to the mess they make, and scattering bread inevitably attracts rats and mice.
It seems that the public has accepted these warnings, and that fewer of us now feed birds this way. In October, a sign went up in a Derbyshire park claiming that the local birds were dying of starvation, and urging visitors to feed them as before. When online posts about the notice went viral, feathers flew as people debated the benefits of handing out bread to birds.
Paul Stancliffe of the British Trust for Ornithology(BTO) points out that there's insufficient scientific evidence for bread harming birds, adding that, as little research has been done, it could even turn out to be beneficial. ① "We just don't know," he says. Although bread is a heavily processed "unnatural" food intended for humans, that alone may be insufficient grounds for not feeding it to birds.
In the 1980s, the Wildfowl & Wetland Trust (WWT) carried out a comparative study of different flocks of mute swans, and the birds that consumed the most bread had weaker muscles, implying that a bread-heavy diet might be the cause. "Our official line is that bread is okay for ducks, geese and swans, but only in moderation," says WWT's Peter Morris. "However, this advice comes with several other warnings. " ② The first is that it's best offered in winter, when there is less plant and insect food around. In spring and summer, too much artificial food may not be a good idea, since young birds have to learn how to look after themselves and natural food will contain a wider range of nutrients to help them grow.
"Just like us, birds need a varied diet to stay healthy," says a spokesperson for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds(RSPB). "Although ducks, geese and swans can digest all types of bread, too much can leave them feeling full without giving them all of the important vitamins, minerals and nutrients they need. " ③
When bird feeding first became popular in the UK in the 19th century, some Victorians encouraged tough love, arguing that such handouts would only make our feathered friends lazy and dependent on welfare. ④ Morris says that there is a theory that wild birds can get "hooked" on easy meals, losing interest in other types of food. Another danger, he says, is that birds fed regularly end up accustomed to humans, placing themselves at greater risk of predation(捕食).
A. One suggestion is to encourage people to cycle more.
B. Generally, people dislike the image travelling by bus creates.
C. However, there are a number of steps that can be taken to reduce road congestion.
D. This allows some flexibility for car drivers but reduces city centre congestion.
E. Finally, there are the negative effects that traffic congestion causes to the environment.
F. Also, governments may not want to increase fuel taxation too much if it is unpopular with voters.
The Effects of Traffic Congestion in Cities
Many of the world's big cities have problems with congestion. There is simply far too much traffic, so governments everywhere have to think about how to solve the problem.
Traffic jams have a number of negative effects. They cause stress to drivers, which may lead to health problems or road rage. They can also reduce productivity because products cannot be delivered on time and employees arrive late for work or meetings. Another important issue is that the emergency services can become caught in traffic. Traffic congestion wastes fuel, which in turn produces more carbon dioxide through the car exhausts and contributes to the greenhouse effect.
The most obvious solutions involve engineering. This means building more roads with wider lanes so that more cars can travel at the same time. However, the problems with these kind of solutions are the construction costs and that more roads may actually encourage more traffic.
Other more creative solutions to the congestion problem are to increase tax on fuel so that it is more expensive, or make people pay to travel on certain roads such as in the centre of a city or on a motorway. However, taxing fuel and roads may mean that some people cannot afford to drive their cars and may have to give up their jobs.
A more popular solution, therefore, would be to encourage other forms of transport which will lead to fewer cars on the road. Although this mode of transport has obvious health benefits and reduces air pollution, it is not very practical in every climate and can prove dangerous in heavy traffic.
Overall, although there are a number of good ways to tackle this problem, some of these also have negative effects. It would seem that encouraging alternative forms of transport is probably the best solution as this solves the congestion problems and reduces the amount of traffic at the same time, which will also have a positive effect on the environment.
