中考英语专题复习之外刊英语阅读理解每日一练（七）(含答案)

外刊英语阅读理解每日一练（七）
Day 1
Joining to help panda (P2)
Panda experts check on the sick panda Tuan Tuan at the Taipei Zoo on Nov 2. AFP
Experts from across the Taiwan Straits cooperate to save Tuan Tuan
两岸专家携手救“团团”
A sick panda in Taiwan’s Taipei Zoo has roused concerns (引起关切) on both sides of the Taiwan Straits.
The 18-year-old male (雄性) panda named Tuan Tuan might have a malignant brain tumor (恶性脑肿瘤). It looked weak and couldn’t walk steadily (平稳地). The good news is that it’s getting better.
Experts from across the Taiwan Straits have worked together to help the panda. On Nov 1, two mainland (大陆) panda experts, Wu Honglin and Wei Ming, arrived in Taipei to check on the panda’s health. They were sent by the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Sichuan.
Experts agreed that Tuan Tuan’s condition was not suitable (合适的) for surgery (手术). So they focused on palliative (舒缓性的) care and improving quality (品质) of life. Now its physical condition and activity level are stable (稳定的). It’s walking more and eating more. Yet, the exact (确切的) cause of its illness hasn’t been found.
Tuan Tuan and the female (雌性的) panda Yuan Yuan arrived in Taipei as a goodwill gift from the mainland in 2008. They have had two cubs (幼崽), one in 2013 and another in 2020. The panda family is deeply beloved by local people, especially children.
Since Tuan Tuan got ill, many people sent their good wishes. A group of photos posted by Taipei Zoo in October received (收到) over 12,000 feedback (回应), Global Times reported. Locals also set up a message board in the zoo to let visitors write down what they wanted to say to Tuan Tuan. Some big fans of Tuan Tuan even visit the zoo every day to try to cheer up the panda, as the two experts saw.
On Nov 7, the two experts returned to the mainland. They will keep in contact (联系) with experts in Taiwan and follow the condition of Tuan Tuan. “We sincerely (真诚地) hope that Tuan Tuan will recover (恢复) soon!” Wei told Xinhua.
Choose the answer:
1. What do we know about the sick panda
A. It will visit the mainland.
B. It has a problem with its leg.
C. It is getting better.
D. It is a mother of two cubs.
2. How did experts help Tuan Tuan
A. They did surgery for it.
B. They pushed it to do palliative activities.
C. They helped it walk and eat more.
D. They improved its quality of life.
3. What is Paragraph 6 mainly about
A. How people show their support to Tuan Tuan.
B. Who Tuan Tuan’s big fans are.
C. How local people help experts do their work.
D. Why Taipei Zoo set up a message board.
Day 2
Crunchy bugs are on the menu (P4-5)
People around the world enjoy insects in their diets
20亿人都在吃，可食用昆虫或成流行食物
Yang Xingyu, 23, took a liking to fried (油炸的) insects the first time she ate them while traveling in Lijiang, Yunnan province.
“I ate fried locusts (蝗虫) and silkworm chrysalises (蚕蛹). Although they looked a little strange, they were crispy. I now eat them for nutrition (营养),” she said.
Like Yang, about 2 billion people around the world have added insects such as beetles, caterpillars (毛毛虫) and bees into their diets, according to a UN report. They can be fried, baked, cooked with soup and mixed with dessert.
Why are so many people interested in eating insects It’s partly due to the fast growth of global population. A UN report in July showed the global population will rise to 8.5 billion by 2030, and about 10.4 billion by the 2080s. But getting enough food for everyone is not easy, according to Huang Dawei, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Insects are rich in protein, vitamins (维生素) and minerals. They are good for human bodies. More importantly, there are large numbers of insects. They can play a big role in solving food problems.
Eating insects also helps the environment. For example, pigs produce 10 to 100 times more greenhouse gases (温室气体) per kilogram than mealworms, reported China Daily.
Even so, Guo Jianjun, a professor at Guizhou University, warns that not all insects can be eaten. Would-be eaters of insects should first learn about insects before eating them.
New regulations worldwide
In Switzerland, food suppliers (供应商) started to use mealworms, grasshoppers (蚱蜢) and crickets (蟋蟀) as food materials in 2017. It’s the first European country to openly sell insects as food.
In 2019, a bakery brand in the US began to sell its new product – bread made from powdered crickets.
In 2021, Europe said yes to dried mealworms as a new food in the market. The powdered mealworm can be put in biscuits and spaghetti.
Chinese history of eating insects
In China, royal households (王室) in the Zhou Dynasty (c. 11th century-256 BC) liked to eat sauces made from ant eggs, according to The Rites of Zhou (《周礼》).
The Compendium of Materia Medica (《本草纲目》), written by Li Shizhen during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), records the ways to cook and the medicinal use of more than 100 insects.
Today, insects are eaten in places such as Yunnan and Guizhou. For example, the Gelao people in Zunyi, Guizhou, celebrate an insect-eating festival on June 2 in the Chinese lunar calendar (阴历). People there often hunt for insects and make them into snacks.
SOURCES: UNITED NATIONS FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION, THE GUARDIAN; PHOTOS BY TUCHONG & QIANTU
Choose the answer:
1. What does Yang Xingyu think of fried insects
A. They taste bad.
B. They are rich in nutrition.
C. They don’t have much protein.
D. They look like normal dishes.
2. Why do people have an interest in eating insects
A. Because they don’t want to eat vegetables.
B. Because insects can help solve the food problem for the rising population.
C. Because insects are tastier food than other animals.
D. Because they are tired of eating pigs.
3. What are Paragraphs 5-6 mainly about
A. What nutrition insects have.
B. How important insects are for other animals.
C. Reasons why insects are good choices for food.
D. The need to protect the environment.

4. What can we learn from Guo Jianjun’s words
A. Most people will be insect eaters in the future.
B. Everyone should learn to cook insects.
C. Some insects cannot be taken as food.
D. Insects are environmentally friendly.
5. What is the passage mainly about
A. Insects will die out in the near future.
B. Insects are faced with dangers.
C. Insects will be the main food in 2030.
D. Insects could be a good choice for future food.
Day 3
Unstoppable talent (P5)
Zheng Xiaoying shines on the podium
郑小瑛：尽情“挥”洒音乐人生
Full of vitality (活力), the world-famous Chinese conductor Zheng Xiaoying, 93, still shines on stage (舞台). On Oct 15, two of her works were broadcast (播放) on TV in the US, said China News.
In the male-dominated (男性主导的) world of symphony conductors, Zheng is the first female opera and symphony conductor in China. She is also the first Chinese conductor to perform (表演) at an opera house overseas.
It takes great talent to be a great conductor. A conductor should decide how the piece should sound. There is also a need to bring the talents of all musicians into full play.
In the early 1960s, Zheng went to Moscow to study opera and symphony conducting. After returning to China, she did her best to combine (结合) Western and Oriental music. However, she did come across difficulties (困难) when she conducted the opera “La Traviata (《茶花女》)” in 1979.
The theater was noisy and audiences (观众) could not understand the opera. To deal with this, Zheng would give a lecture (讲座) to the audience before the performance to help them understand the cultural background and theater manners.
Zheng also worked hard to promote (推广) Chinese culture to the world through music. In 2007, as a daughter of the Hakka people, Zheng performed a Chinese symphony called “The Echoes of Hakka Earth Building”. So far, it has been performed 80 times in over 12 countries and regions (地区).
She has fought against cancer (癌症) over the last 20 years. But nothing can stop her from standing on the stage once again.
“To spend my last seconds on the stage would be the most romantic thing in my life.”
Zheng Xiaoying conductor
Zheng Xiaoying
● Born: September 1929
● Birthplace: Shanghai
● Occupation: Conductor
● Famous for: Being the first female (女性的) opera and symphony conductor (歌剧交响乐指挥家) in China
Zheng Xiaoying
Answer the questions:
1. Where was Zheng’s performance on Oct 15 aired
_________________________________________________________________________________

2. What did Zheng try her best to do after returning from Moscow
_________________________________________________________________________________

3. How did Zheng help the audience understand “La Traviata”
_________________________________________________________________________________

4. Why did Zheng perform “The Echoes of Hakka Earth Building”
_________________________________________________________________________________
5. How long has Zheng suffered from cancer
_________________________________________________________________________________
Day 4
Talking to animals (P6)
Scientists use AI to translate animal languages
科学家开发跨物种翻译机，实现人类与动物对话
Have you ever wondered what animals are talking about With the development of AI, we may be able to understand their languages!
In Professor Karen Baker’s new book, The Sounds of Life: How Digital Technology Is Bringing Us Closer to the Worlds of Animals and Plants, she talks about how AI is helping us to make an animal version (版本) of Google Translate.
All around the animal kingdom (王国), there are sounds that we can hardly pick up and decipher (破译). Elephants for example talk with each other using infrasound (次声波) – far below our human hearing range. Coral in the ocean also sends sound waves to attract (吸引) baby coral to safer areas to grow. This is surprising as coral doesn’t have any ears! Scientists have placed listening equipment (设备) into these environments to pick up the sounds humans cannot hear.
After the sounds are recorded, AI can study their meaning, according to the news website Vox. For example, Israeli researchers used AI to translate bats’ 15,000 calls. They found that more than 60 percent were arguments (争吵) about four things: food, sleep positions (姿势), invasion (侵犯) of personal space, and unwanted advances (求爱).
This technology can not only understand the animals but communicate back to them. For example, bees use dances to communicate. A research team in Germany, therefore, put the bee language AI system into a robot bee. They asked the robot to create a dance routine (路线) to tell the bees where the nectar (花蜜) was, Vox reported.
By ALEX TANI, 21st Century Teens

other unique ways that animals communicate
Hippos fire a tornado (风暴) of poo (粪便) to tell other hippos about their territory (领地).
· Mantis shrimps (螳螂虾) flash lights to communicate with their peers.
· Sperm whales (抹香鲸) use clicking (咔哒) sounds to talk with each other. They have dialects (方言).
· Asiatic wild dogs (亚洲野狗) talk through whistle sounds. They whistle to coordinate (协调) attacks on other animals much larger than them.
· African demon mole rats (非洲恶魔鼹鼠) live underground. They bang (撞) their heads against the tops of their tunnels (隧道) to communicate.
·Ravens use beaks (鸟喙) and wings to make gestures (示意).
Animal sounds in English
How do we describe the sounds of different animals in English
A cat meows. 猫“喵喵”叫。
A dog barks. 狗“汪汪”叫。
A duck quacks. 鸭子“嘎嘎”叫。
A fly hums. 苍蝇“嗡嗡”叫。
A chick cheeps. 小鸡“叽叽”叫。
A sheep baas. 绵羊”咩咩”叫。
A frog croaks. 青蛙“呱呱”叫。
Time to think
What problems would there be if one day we could use animal robots to “talk” to real animals Will humans use the technology to control the animals Will there be more cases of animal abuse (虐待) What can we do to prevent (防止) this Discuss it with your classmates or friends.
Choose the answer:
1. What is Karen Baker’s new book mainly about
A. Why AI can help people research animals.
B. Why animals need help from human beings.
C. How AI helps people better understand animals.
D. How AI helps people do translations better.
2. What do we know about the sounds made by animals
A. They can help animals get used to their environments.
B. All communications among elephants are infrasound.
C. Corals have ears that can hear all animal sounds.
D. Some of the sounds cannot be heard by humans.

3. What is Paragraph 4 mainly about
A. Why AI can translate bats’ sounds.
B. How bats argue with each other.
C. An example of scientists’ study on animals’ sounds.
D. Bats’ living habits and their way of communication.
4. How did scientists tell bees where the nectar was
A. By training other bees to lead them there.
B. By asking a robot bee to teach them a new language.
C. By creating a certain sound with the AI system.
D. By making a robot bee tell the bees about the route by dancing.
Day 5
Cloze
In some bookstores owned by Goldman Press in Germany, a large number of books are stolen every year. This makes the bookstore staff (工作人员) feel quite 1 . Usually, at the end of each year, the 2 of the stolen books, as well as how many books were stolen, are written in a list and posted on a wall in the bookstores to remind (提醒) the staff.
One day, one of the company’s inspectors (检查员) noticed the 3 when he was inspecting the bookstores. He was inspired. After he went back to his office, he began listing the books that were 4 most frequently (频繁地).
In Frankfurt, a worldwide book fair (展销会) is held every year. At the fair, publishing houses (出版社) will use all the good words to 5 their books. But that year Goldman Press tried a more 6 way – they showed a list of the top 10 books that were most frequently stolen in their bookstores. As they 7 , the list attracted a large number of booksellers who had come to the fair to order books. This made Goldman Press a great 8 at the book fair.
Booksellers might not always 9 what publishing houses say in their advertisements. But this time they believed the books that were stolen most frequently must be widely 10 . They would likely become very popular books.
( )1.A. happy B. bored C. upset D. tired
( )2.A. prices B. names C. colors D. numbers
( )3.A. list B. book C. thief D. staff
( )4.A. shown B. bought C. stolen D. sold
( )5.A. protect B. promote C. provide D. produce
( )6. A. common B. famous C. careful D. unusual
( )7. A. knocked B. expected C. decided D. remembered
( )8. A. trouble B. joke C. luck D. success
( )9. A. believe B. hear C. understand D. repeat
( )10. A. lost B. missed C. enjoyed D. discussed
参考答案：
Day 1: CDA
Day 2: BBCCD
Day 3: 1. On TV in the US.
2. She did her best to combine Western and Oriental music.
3. Zheng would give a lecture to the audience before the performance to help them understand the cultural background.
4. To promote Chinese culture through music.
5. For 20 years.
Day 4: CDCD
Day 5: 1-5 CBACB 6-10 DBDAC