广东省广州市花都区广雅中学2022-2023学年高一下学期期...

Unbelievable Stories of Animals Acting Just Like Humans

Horses are picky eaters

Horses have an even better sense of smell than humans do. When horses raise their noses and open their nostrils (鼻孔), their nervous system allows them to sense smells we can't sense. This might explain why they refuse dirty water and carefully move around meadows, eating only the tastiest grasses, experts say.

Whale says thanks

In 2018, a whale expert spotted a humpback whale trapped in a fishing net and spent an hour freeing it. Afterward, in an hour-long display of thanks, the whale swam near their boat and leaped into the air about 40 times.

Pandas like to be naughty

Is there anything more lovely than a baby panda, except maybe a human baby? In fact, baby pandas sometimes behave like human babies. They sleep in the same positions and value their thumbs. Pandas are shy by nature for its shy behaviors such as covering its face with a paw or ducking its head when confronted by a stranger.

A cat honors its owner

Paper towels, and a plastic cup are just a few of the gifts that Toldo, a devoted three-year-old gray-and-white cat, has placed on his former owner Iozzelli Renzo's grave every day since the man died in September 2018. Renzo adopted Toldo from a shelter when the cat was three months old, and the two formed an inseparable bond. After Renzo passed away, Toldo followed the coffin to the cemetery, and now "stands guard" the grave for hours at a time.

Alone in the wilderness. Nothing but jungle. A world of shadow with the rays of light falling like blonde hair from the crowns of the giant trees. Jungle in the middy sun. Everything motionless. Not a sound from sky or earth. Complete silence. Only some coconuts falling, very far away. The world reduced to the soft touch of cool grass along my naked back, and a sweet smell of rich soil and vegetation. Stretching out with closed eyes beside my heavy burden of fruit and firewood, I enjoyed the feeling of fresh blood streaming through every part of my body and fresh jungle air filling every corner of my lungs.

Resting motionless, I could see the sun through my closed eyelids, alone in the sky, as lonely as I, and as motionless and silent as everything else. The earth had surely stopped turning and somewhere on this planet there was supposed to be roaring traffic in busy streets. What a crazy, unbelievable thought!

Another coconut fell, to make the world come to a complete standstill. I had to roll over onto my stomach to feel that at least I could move and make noises. Then I found company. A little brown ant was struggling to find its way with a bit of dry straw (草) through the jungle of leaves and grass below my nose. I wondered if I could give the little fellow a lift with its burden, but it showed not the slightest sign of tiredness and struggled on with all six legs, head first or head last, waving its feelers energetically as if the trip had just started. Who ever saw a tired ant? Tiredness, disagreeable tiredness, is restricted to hunted animals, slaves and modern man. It is as great an effort for an office to walk five blocks with a heavy brief-case as it is for a jungle-dweller to cross a valley with a goat on his back. It is as hard to get up and climb or run when you have been seated for years as it is to get up and walk when you have been in bed for months. The body is strange. Spare it, and you get really tired for almost nothing; use it, and almost nothing makes you really tired.

I rose to my feet. I had heard a horse neighing down in the valley. Above me, on the open highland plains, there were wild horses. But down in the valley there was never a horse unless there was a man on it. Somebody was making his way up the valley and my wife was alone.

Folklore is the branch of the study of man which deals with local customs, tales and traditions. Everybody is a storehouse of folklore, though not everybody realizes it. Often, indeed, those who have never heard the word folklore have the greatest store of it, for the people with least book education commonly cherish most firmly old ideas and superstitions which have been passed on by word of mouth for generations. Everyone has heard stories of ghosts, witches, fairies, and giants. We all know some proverbs and have come across such ideas as, for example, that it is lucky to see black cat and unlucky to see a single magpie. We keep certain seasons of the year as festivals, suchn as Christmas, and we are familiar with the special customs connected with weddings and funerals. All such things are of interest to those who study folklore.

People who study folklore won't criticize the old beliefs and practices they come across as silly, childish, or old-fashioned. Instead, they will try to collect accurate records of them and then see how these are connected with other ideas and customs of other places or times. By comparing with what is known of olden times or the folklore of other countries, they try to discover how certain beliefs and practices came into being, and what purpose they serve now or used to serve in the past.

Often we find that the beliefs which seem most peculiar and unreasonable, and the customs which appear least practical, are of the greatest interest and importance because they are commonly the oldest. Sometimes they were part of an ancient ritual or served a useful purpose when people's way of life was different from what it is now. So we not only learn about what people thought and did in the past but are better able to understand present customs. People often keep up customs when they have forgotten the original reason for them, and in the course of time a fresh reason gets attached to the custom. Thus, when some joker ties an old shoe to the back of the taxi taking the bride and bridegroom to the station for their honeymoon, he would say it was "for luck", but actually a shoe is an old fertility (繁殖力) symbol and has a place in the wedding customs of China and Palestine.

According to the Solar Energy Industry Association, the number of solar panels installed(安装)has grown rapidly in the past decade, and it has to grow even faster to meet climate goals. But all of that growth will take up a lot of space, and though more and more people accept the concept of solar energy, few like large solar panels to be installed near them.

Solar developers want to put up panels as quickly and cheaply as possible, so they haven't given much thought to what they put under them. Often, they'll end up filling the area with small stones and using chemicals to control weeds. The result is that many communities, especially in farming regions, see solar farms as destroyers of the soil.

"Solar projects need to be good neighbors," says Jordan Macknick, the head of the Innovative Site Preparation and Impact Reductions on the Environment(InSPIRE)project. "They need to be protectors of the land and contribute to the agricultural economy." InSPIRE is investigating practical approaches to "low-impact" solar development, which focuses on establishing and operating solar farms in a way that is kinder to the land. One of the easiest low-impact solar strategies is providing habitat for pollinators(传粉昆虫).

Habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change have caused dramatic declines in pollinator populations over the past couple of decades, which has damaged the U.S. agricultural economy. Over 28 states have passed laws related to pollinator habitat protection and pesticide use. Conservation organizations put out pollinator-friendliness guidelines for home gardens, businesses, schools, cities—and now there are guidelines for solar farms.

Over the past few years, many solar farm developers have transformed the space under their solar panels into a shelter for various kinds of pollinators, resulting in soil improvement and carbon reduction. "These pollinator-friendly solar farms can have a valuable impact on everything that's going on in the landscape," says Macknick.

Do you like to shop online? Maybe you like to do both these things. Smart shoppers know how to use different methods to get the best price.

One common shopper strategy is "showrooming." This means that customers go into a store, look at the product, talk to a salesperson, and then use their smartphones or other mobile devices to find a better price. "Reverse showrooming" is another strategy. One thing is for certain: shoppers are now using many strategies to get the best price.

The number of online shoppers is rising, but not as fast as retailers (零售商) first thought. People still like to go into stores. Teens especially prefer to shop at the shopping center.

In order to keep customers coming into stores, managers need to train salespeople well. In-store shoppers want salespeople to give them a lot of attention, be polite, and know a lot about the product.

At the top of the list are electronic products. It's easy to research these products and compare prices online.

However, online shopping doesn't work for every product. People prefer to shop for food in a store. But you still need to drive the car. If you're buying a mattress (床垫), online reviews can't tell you if it will be comfortable for you. You still need to go into the store and lie on it.

A. What products do shoppers like to buy online?

B. With online shopping, you can't try before you buy.

C. Usually the products we find online have better prices.

D. Or do you prefer to go into a store and look at a product?

E. If you're buying a new car, you can research prices online.

F. Shopping for them is not about finding the best price; it's a social experience.

G. Customers first go online to do research and then go into a store to get the product.

Numan Ertugrul Uzunsoy was performing with his acting troupe (剧团) on the streets in England. As the crowd 1 around the professional actors, the stage was set for an exciting story complete with costumed actors and an enthusiastic narrator telling the 2on a loudspeaker.

Once the story took a turn, throwing Numan Uzunsoy's character from an imaginary 3 , the actor  fell to the ground and began 4 heavily to show the seriousness of his false 5 . Though the onlookers more than understood that this was all an act, there was one member of the audience who couldn't 6 to watch Uzunsoy lying on the ground in great 7. Numan agreed to an interview with The Dodo and recalled his reaction to the 8 .

"The 9 I played was injured and painful, " he told The Dodo. "He'd fallen off a horse, and was breathing hard. I felt 10 on my face. First, I thought my co-star was approaching me."

Though some actors might be frustrated that someone 11 the scene, Uzunsoy quickly broke into a smile as he felt the kisses from a particularly worried dog.

"I was very happy when I felt the dog's kisses," Uzunsoy spoke of the encounter. "I was very 12 . He was like an angel who wanted to help me. It was a very emotional moment for me. I hadn't 13 it."

One might assume that the acting troupe would be annoyed, or at the very least, 14 with this interruption, but everyone seemed to enjoy the dog's reaction to the scene. The dog displayed its 15 for humans in a most profound way.

China is the homeland of tea. It is believed that China had tea-shrubs as early as five to six thousand years ago, and human cultivation of teaplants (date) back two thousand years. Tea from China, along with her silk and porcelain, began to be known to the world more than a thousand years ago and has been important Chinese export ever since.

At present more than forty countries in the world grow tea totally (produce) 90% of the world's output. All tea trees in countries have their origin directly or indirectly in China. The habit of tea (drink) spread to Japan in the 6th century, but it was not introduced to Europe and America the 17th and 18th centuries. Now the number of tea drinkers in the world is massive and is still on the increase. Chinese tea may (classify) into five categories according to the different methods by which it is processed. Take black tea as an example. Black tea, (know)as "red tea"(hongcha) in China, should be fermented (发酵) before baking: it is a later variety developed the basis of the green tea. The best (brand) of black tea are Qihong of Anhui, Dianhong of Yunnan.

Two outdoor basketball courts in a rural village in southwest China's Guizhou province recently became popular for holding games with a/an that rival the NBA. Over ten thousand spectators(观众) the courtside from morning to the next dawn and even at midnight, on their feet when there was a score, eating when hungry, and drinking home-made rice wine when thirsty. That's why people call the games held in the courts "CunBA," a nickname similar to the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).

Taipan village, in Taipan township, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous county of Guizhou, is home to the two standard basketball courts and has hosted the basketball match for decades. The annual basketball event is part of a traditional Miao ethnic harvest festival. The festival a series of traditional activities, including horse racing and traditional music performance.

Basketball games are the most attention-grabbing part of the festiva1. There was a unique opening ceremony. The games also had halftime shows by cheerleaders of Miao ethnic groups, as well as halftime shooting games. Equipment from the local bullfighting horns, gongs, drums, to even pans and basins was taken to the games for cheering. These all made the atmosphere totally comparable to that of professional games.

This year's tournament attracted 16 teams from villages to compete. Players primarily for honor, although there were some rural prizes too-a 650-kilogram cow for the winner, a pair of sheep for the runner-up and two piglets for the third-placed team.

Carnival: One Day in RioLast year I went to the Rio de Janeiro Carnival, and I was excited. However, I arrived, I was quite anxious because the streets were overcrowded. Six million people this incredible carnival. Luckily, I had a local guide, Ronnie. He said he would and show me all the highlights. Then, we to the samba parade.

Well, the carnival is most definitely all about the samba which is featured by exciting rhythms and harmonic vocals. It's the kind of music that you can't help dancing to. , I was learning that as I followed Ronnie through the crowd, my hips and shoulders were swinging almost involuntarily.

Thanks to this lively atmosphere, my anxiety completely . Ronnie had got us tickets for the samba parade inside the Sambadrome (森巴大道) where twelve main teams competed for the championship. But we still had a long way to the street. the main samba parade, many small parties were held in the street to celebrate the festival. You must be wondering how the main parade was. Well, I'm afraid I can't tell you. Ronnie and I never made into the Sambadrome. Fascinated by snacks and drinks, we spent the day moving from one street party to another. Do I regret missing the main parade? Not at all. I experienced the carnival like the locals, and I did it.

参考词汇：科技节 Science Fair

Ladies and gentlemen,