阅读理解

　　XI'AN－China's conservation work for the endangered crested ibis(朱鹮)is facing new challenges, including an increasing mortality rate due to inbreeding, and the conflict between the need to expand natural habitats and local communities' economic interests, bird experts have warned．

　　The crested ibis, once widespread in Japan, China, Russia and the Korean Peninsula, almost became extinct in the first half of the 20th century．

　　Before 1981, when seven crested ibis were accidentally found in Yangxian county, in Northwest China's Shaanxi province, academics thought the species had been extinct in China for almost 17 years．

　　Due to the huge effort put into species protection since 1981, the number of crested ibis in China has risen to an estimated 1,617, including 997 in the wild, the State Forestry Administration said at a meeting on crested ibis protection in Xi'an on Monday．

　　However, although the ibis population exceeds 1,000, the birds are still not free from the threat of extinction, said Fang Shengguo, director of the State Conservation Center for Gene Resources of Endangered Wildlife at Zhejiang University．

　　“Ornithologists used inbreeding in the early stages of protection so that numbers of the precious birds could increase quickly, but that method had consequences,” Fang said．

　　"Studies have proved that as a result of inbreeding, crested ibis have the lowest genetic diversity of all endangered birds," Fang said．

　　"It means a high mortality rate and more physical defects for hatched chicks．"

　　“The government should collect genetic information from all crested ibis and establish a genetic database as soon as possible, then design a scientific mating plan for the species,” Fang said．

　　So far, about 90 percent of crested ibis live in Shaanxi province, and fewer than 140 ibis live in three zoos in other parts of the country, including Beijing Zoo, according to Liu Dongping, an assistant researcher at the National Bird Banding Center of China, which is affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Forestry．

　　The bird has lost the ability to migrate, he said, adding that if an unexpected natural disaster occurred in Shaanxi province or an infectious disease spread through the area, the ibis population could be greatly reduced．

　　Experts also warned that the increased population of ibis, whether in the wild or in captivity, requires a larger and more varied natural habitat．

　　Rampant hunting, the massive loss of habitat caused by deforestation and the overuse of pesticides, which killed aquatic insects on which the ibis feed, are believed to be the main reasons for the sharp reduction in the ibis population before 1981．

　　So, in 1983, a State-level natural reserve was set up in Shaanxi province to protect the bird．But the struggle for living space between human and animal has never stopped, said Lu Baozhong, deputy director of the Shaanxi Crested Ibis Conservation Station．

　　"For example, ibis often look for loaches in farmers' rice fields．Sometimes their claws trample the rice seedlings．In another case, villagers discovered some land with abundant mineral resources which happened to be a habitat for ibis," said Lu, who has devoted 30 years to ibis protection．

　　A long-term win-win solution for ibis and local communities needs to be developed, one that would provide ecological compensation for local residents, Lu said．

阅读理解

　　Being a mother is apparently not like it was in the good old days．

　　Today’s parents yearn for the golden age that their own mothers enjoyed in the 1970s and 1980s, researchers found．Mothers have less time to themselves and feel under greater pressure to handle work and family life than the previous generation．As a result, 88 per cent said they felt guilty about the lack of time they spent with their children．

　　The survey of 1,000 mothers also found that more than a third said they had less time to themselves than their mothers did－just three hours a week or 26 minutes a day．And 64 per cent said this was because they felt they ‘had’ to go out to work, while nearly a third(29 per cent)said they were under constant pressure to be the ‘perfect mother’, the report found．

　　Other findings showed social networking and parenting websites, as well as technology such as Skype, were important in providing help and support among female communities．Kate Fox, a member of the Social Issues Research Centre, which conducted the survey for Procter ＆ Gamble, said： ‘With increasing pressure on mothers to work a “double shift”－to be the perfect mother as well as a wage-earner－support networks are more important than ever．

　　It comes as a separate report examining childcare in the leading industrialised nations found that working mothers in Britain spend just 81 minutes a day caring for their children as a ‘primary activity’．Mothers who stay at home, on the other hand, manage twice as much time－more than two and a half hours－looking after their offspring, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development．

　　Critics say the pressure on women to work long hours, and leave their offspring in the hands of nurseries or childminders, is putting the well-being of their children at risk．

　　The study also reveals that, despite the fact that more and more modern mothers go out to work, the burden of childcare still falls on them - even if their husband is not in work．A father who is not in work tends to spend just 63 minutes a day looking after his child - 18 minutes less than a mother who goes out to work．Working fathers spare less than three quarters of an hour with their children．

阅读理解

　　In a surprising discovery about where higher life can survive, scientists have found a shrimp -like creature and a jellyfish swimming beneath an Antarctic ice sheet．

　　About 180 meters below the ice where no light can get through, scientists had figured nothing much more than a few microbes(微生物)could exist．

　　That’s why a NASA team was surprised when they lowered a video camera to get the first long look at the underbelly of an ice sheet in Antarctica．A curious shrimp-like creature came swimming by and then parked itself on the camera’s cable．Scientists also pulled up a tentacle(触须)they believe came from a jellyfish．

　　“We were operating on the presumption that nothing’s there．” said NASA ice scientist Robert Bindschadler．“It was a shrimp you’d enjoy having on your plate．”

　　“We were just gaga(狂热的)over it,” he said when talking about the 7.5 cm long, orange creature starring in their two-minute video．Technically, it’s not a shrimp．It’s a Lyssianasid amphipod, which is distantly related to the shrimp．

　　The video is likely to inspire experts to rethink what they know about life in harsh environments．And it has scientists thinking that if shrimp-like creatures can live below 180 meters of Antarctic ice in freezing dark water, what about other cold places? What about Europa, a frozen moon of Jupiter?

　　Cynan Ellis–Evans, a scientist of the British Antarctic Survey called the finding fascinating．He said it was possible the creatures swam in from far away and don’t live there permanently．

　　But Kim, who is a co-author of the study, doubts it．“The site in West Antarctica is at least 19 km from open seas．Bindschadler drilled a 20 cm-wide hole and was looking at a tiny amount of water．That means it’s unlikely that two creatures swam from great distances and were captured randomly in that small area,” she said．

　　“Yet scientists were puzzled at what the food source would be for these creatures．While some microbes can make their own food out of chemicals in the ocean, complex life like the shrimp can’t,” Kim said．zxxk

　　“So how do they survive? That’s the key question．” Kim said．

　　“It’s pretty amazing when you find a huge puzzle like that on a planet where we thought we know everything．” Kim said．

阅读理解

　　For over 45 years, Roaring Brook Camp has been devoted to teaching outdoor skills, guiding hiking and canoeing(乘独木舟)trips．It is an ideal place for boys seeking a fun and exciting adventure．

　　Located on a 650-acre forest reserve with a 15-acre private lake．Campers sleep in three－sided shelters and cook meals at separate cooking areas。The camp has playing fields miles of roads for race and fitness training．

　　All our staff have worked here for 3 years and are chosen for their instructional specialization in outdoor sports and skills．They are all fond of wilderness living and willing to share their professional skills with campers．

　　Is the camp safe?

　　The directors are Emergency Medical Technicians with 30 years'experience．They can handle any emergency that happens in the camp．The directors are always close at hand because they work in the camp daily to teach activities．Strong safety practices and policies small camp size and enough direction improve our safety record．

　　what is the food like at the camp?

　　All of our food comes from a local store．The menu is created with boys'tastes in mind．Campers have told us for many years that our food is the best they have had at a camp．Campers cook two of their three meals each day over open fires to learn this important outdoor skill．

　　August 7,201l to August 20,20ll

　　45 campers

　　＄800

　　Camp Address

　　480 Roaring Brook Road, Bradford, Vermont 05033, the USA

　　Telephone

　　(802)222-5702

阅读理解

　　Not long ago, I spent the morning having coffee with Kanzi．He invited me．Kanzi is a bonobo, which is a close cousin of the chimpanzee．Researchers say Kanzi knows 384 words．But he probably knows more．He uses paper boards displaying colorful symbols that stand for the words．Kanzi can build thoughts and sentences by pointing at the boards．

　　Sue Rumbaugh joined Kanzi and me for coffee．She is a zoologist at the Great Ape Trust which is a research center in Des Moines, Iowa, where Kanzi lives．The Great Ape Trust is

　　home to seven bonobos．They have been raised from birth with both spoken language and symbols as part of each day·

　　Scientists are discovering that humans are not the only animals that can use language or tools, or have feelings．Crows(乌鸦)are good at using tools, for example．In an experiment crows proved good at using some materials to create a hook(钩子)．They used the hook to fish a basket of food out of a container．Monkeys practice charity．A former study showed that monkeys would share food with monkeys who are familiar to them rather than keeping all the food for themselves．Elephants mourn their dead．If they find elephant bones, they would gently examine them with what looks like sadness．

　　Scientists have also found that the way animals hunt and live together may drive intelligence higher．Animals behave most cleverly when they are hunting for food together．Last year, Christilie Drea, an animal biologist, conducted an experiment in hyena(鬣狗)cooperation．She placed food on a platform．The animals could get the food only if they pulled on a strong thick string together．In less than two minutes, the hyenas figured out that cooperation was the key to success．

　　Research is showing that animals are surprisingly intelligent．Our pets may know more than we ever imagined．And that is raising questions about how we treat them．Can animals feel? Should they be kept in zoos? What do you think?

阅读理解

　　My husband and I both work from home．We have four children, so the times when 1 am alone in the house are few and far between．Like many work-at-home moms, when I do get a chance to be by myself I do something, whether it's related to my career or taking care of the household chores．But the chance is little．

　　One Thursday, things really came to a head．My husband was heading out to the gym, just thinking that I had nothing to do but watch the twins．My older boys were making plans with their friends without bothering me and they were expecting me to drive them there．The twins, being young, wanted my undivided attention．Even my customers seemed to be demanding that day．They sounded not satisfied with the products and wanted to cut down the prices more．Nobody bothered to ask if I might have plans of my own．But the truth was, I seldom did have any plans for myself, and everyone knew it．I always put their needs before my own．They took advantage of that．

　　The next day, when the kids were at school, 1 headed for the movie theater－alone．I'd never been to the movies alone before．Would I look pitiful going to the theater by myself? Was I being silly by seeing a movie when so much work awaited me at home? I forced myself to take back these thoughts．And then 1 walked into the theater with my head held high and enjoyed every minute of the movie．For a couple of hours, I was nobody's wife or mother．1 was just myself．

　　From that point on, I decided that Fridays would be mine, at least for a couple of hours．Some Fridays．I head for the beach with a good book．Other Fridays．I go shopping．I really look forward to my Fridays after a long week of caring for my family．

　　By forcing myself to slow down and put the needs of my family out of my mind, I feel closer to myself．1'm not completely responsible for caring for my family．I don't need to do it all myself．I just need to remember to spare some time to be with myself．

阅读理解

　　If you are thinking of a family holiday under the Caribbean sun, Jamaica is your first choice．So what makes it so popular with people all over the world?

　　First．Jamaica enjoys a warm climate throughout the year so people don't really have to wait for comfortable weather to visit it．The island does have a short rainy season but the sun comes out after a few hours．

　　Jamaica receives a large number of visitors during the high season which is from mid－December to mid·April．Jamaica welcomes more than one million visitors to its shores every year and a great number of these are from the USA．American Airlines have added three new weekly services from Chicago to Jamaica International Airport．

　　Jamaica was also recognized as the leading destination in the Caribbean in the World Travel Award Ceremony which was held in London on 7 last November．The awards are considered to be the'Oscars of the travel industry and are a final testimony(证据)to the quality of the travel products offered by a country．Indeed, the island walked away with seven awards including the leading beach destination in the world．

　　Finally, Jamaica is perfect for the budget travelers．A wide range of rentals can satisfy the needs of the travelers．There you can experience the same good hotel service combined with the privacy, space, freedom and comfort that only a home can provide．And if you are worried about the costs, just add up the costs of the rental you would book for your family and the costs of eating throughout your stay, you will find that these rentals are more affordable than any other choice．

阅读理解

　　While Chris Duke was serving in a foreign country, he and other soldiers made good friends with three homeless dogs, named Sasha, Target, and Rufus．So whenever the soldiers ran into danger, the dogs were always there to defend them．

　　One February night, two men with a bomb were trying to enter the soldiers'rooms to kill the 50 men inside．The three dogs began barking and biting them, trying to keep them from harming the soldiers inside…

　　When the bomb exploded, the two men were killed, but all of the soldiers remained safe．Sadly, one of the dogs, Sasha, was severely injured by the bomb and died soon．But both Rufus and Target survived, and were celebrated as heroes by the soldiers they had saved．

　　When Duke finished his work and returned home the following month, he wanted to bring his loyal friend Rufus along－but military(军队的)rules wouldn't allow it．So, after returning to his hometown, Duke wrote a letter to an assistance group, named Hope for Soldiers, asking for their help to bring the two dogs overseas．

　　“This was going to mean a lot to him, the group's president．Robin Kelleher, said．“So whatever we needed to do to get this wish done we were going to do that．”This assistance group raised more than ＄21, 000 to pay for the dogs to be flown to the destinations one after another．

　　Now．Target has been transported to live with another soldier Will Smith, and Rufus has just arrived in Duke's hometown．He'll live out the rest of his days with Duke and his family．Duke is thrilled to make a promise to care for Rufus for the rest of his life－in his eyes, it's the least he could do for his friend．“I firmly believe I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for him, ”he said．

阅读理解

Teens' lives hit by economy

　　Some teenagers are crossing their dream colleges off their lists．Others are thinking of skipping(略过)their senior trips or reducing prom(毕业舞会)costs．Many are finding their work hours cut while their expenses rise．

　　So, who exactly is punishing them? Is it their parents, teachers or employers? No, it's the economy(经济状况)．

　　If you are like most teenagers, you probably don't understand what “recession”, “negative economic growth” and “subprime mortgage crisis(次贷危机)”actually mean．And you probably don't spend your days watching the ups and downs of the stock market．

　　It's safe to say that most teens don't know much about the economy except for one thing：it's bad．But just how exactly is the economy affecting teens?

　　“The single largest thing I have noticed is the recession's ability to affect my college choice, ”said Heather Richars from Downey High School in California, US．“With the economic situation the way it is, I have thought less about going to a private or out-of-state university, and more about public schools in California, mainly because of the price of tuition, ”said Richars．“I had been a fan of attending a private school up until this year．”

　　The economy cuts into other areas of teenagers' lives, too．

　　Joey Camarda, a student at Modesto High School in California, who works at an ice cream store, said, “Probably due to the economy, I have been getting less hours at my job, and because of that, I am not getting enough money to help pay for college．”

　　Tara Mooney, a senior at Beyer High School, has also begun to notice that money is tight．

　　“Things are getting expensive,” she said．“When it comes to applying for colleges and wanting to go on senior trips, I have to pick and choose instead of doing it all．”

阅读理解

　　In the traditional marriage, the man worked at a job to earn money for the family．Most men worked in an office, a factory, or some other place away from the home．Since the man earned the money, they paid the bills．The money was used for food, clothes, the house, and other family needs, the man made most of the decisions．He was the boss．

　　In the traditional marriage, the woman seldom worked away from the house．She stayed at home to care for the children and her husband．She cooked meals, cleaned the house, washed the clothes, and did other housework．Her job at home was very important．

　　In recent years, many couples continues to have a traditional relationship of the kind of man who has a job and earns the money for the family．The woman stays at home and cares for the children and the house．Many American are happy with the kind of marriage．But some other Americans have a different impression of marriage and family responsibilities

　　There are two important differences in male and female roles now．One is that both men and women have to stay at home．Both men and women may choose roles that are comfortable for them．

　　The second difference in male and female roles is that within marriage many decisions and responsibilities are shared．The husband and wife may choose to have children, or they may not．If they have children, the man takes care of them some of the time, all of the time or not at all．The woman may want to stay at home and take care of the children, or she may want to go to work．Men and women now decide these things together in a marriage．Many married people now share these decisions and responsibilities of their families．