Long before the scientific world became concerned about the impacts of introducing nonnative species,a total of l00 starlings were released in New York City's Central Park.Eugene Schieffelin was a Shakespeare lover who wanted to bring to America as manv birds as possible mentioned by the Bard in his poems.He imported 60 starlings and released them on a March day in Central Park.A year later,he introduced an additional 40 birds. Within 50 years,they had spread to every state,and today they number an estimated 200 million.In San Diego County,the starling seems at home in both urban and agricultural environments,frequently feeding on the ground,where it probes lawns and fields for insects,worms and snails. Nesting begins in March and peaks in May when the young birds join large flocks in places like Lake Henshaw,dairy farms or Ramona Grasslands.They frequently take over the nest of other birds,and they don't seem particular,having been observed nesting in many kinds of trees. In addition to competing with native species for food and nesting locations,there have been estimates that starlings cause at least MYM800 million in crop damage annually.Much of the damage they cause is the result of their concentrations.Massive flocks of birds are, though beautiful,can be destructive,even dangerous to aircraft,with more than 800 incidents reported by the Federal Aviation Administration. Despite their bad press,the starling is popular with bird--watchers and also the Shakespeare lovers,who often refer to the starling probably because the bird is quite an imitator.It can imitate the calls of up to 20 other species,including hawks,robins and flickers. Love him or hate him,Schieffelin's release of 100 European starlings had a lasting impact in the United States.He had no idea that he also proved the famous words of Shakespeare."What's done cannot be undone.'' What made Eugene Schieffelin introduce starlings into New York City? A) The descriptions in Shakespeare's poems. B) The intention to protect local environment. C) The scientists'concern about the worsening environment. D) The park visitors'curiosity about a new bird species.
A
(Question)
When he stopped his car at a traffic light in Basra, Bassam Rady noticed the motorbike with two riders on it passed by him slowly. Suddenly the bike turned round and Mr. Rady, feeling dangerous, tried to drive off. Before he could, a man on the back of the bike took out a gun from his jacket and fired. The bullet went through the windscreen and just missed him. As he sped away another shot was fired, but missed the car. Mr. Rady was an interpreter for British army in Iraq. As such, his life is in danger from the militia that once controlled the Iraqi city and is now returning. More than a year ago Iraqi soldiers, backed by US, brought peace and stability to Basra by driving militants over the Iranian border in an operation called Charge of the Knights. According to local estimates, however, about half have returned. Although they have not become as active as before, the militants are trying to shoot Iraqi citizens who worked with British. Most in danger are translators such as Mr. Rady. The 31-year-old father worked with soldiers on dangerous missions but was refused resettlement in Britain at the end of his employment. He worked with nine translators. Seven of them have been killed. "I'm like a cancer patient -- now that the militia is back, my family is just waiting for me to die," Mr. Rady said. "I see reports in the media that Basra is safe but it's not true. I know these militia people. I went to school with some of them. I didn't see them for a year but now they are around again. They have told me, 'Your day will come soon'." He takes security precautions and never follows a routine. This means that he cannot work because that would give the militants a better chance of success. Militiamen belonging to the alMahdi Army took control of Basra between 2004 and 2007 with other Shia fighters. They enforced strict Islamic rules at the same time as running criminal rackets. British army was unable or unwilling to fight back and eventually went back to their base at the airport. We can draw the conclusion that Mr.Rady's work in Iraq is very_. A) happy B) tiring C) busy D) dangerous
(Answer)
D
Ques: BEIJTNG, July 21 (Xinhua) -- An armed police officer who died in the riot in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, has been honored as a "loyal guard devoted to his mission ", one of the highest-level honors in the Chinese army. Premier Wen Jiabao and Central Military Commission (CMC) Chairman Hu Jintao signed the order to honor Wan Jingang, a 31 -year-old officer in the Xinjiang Armed Police recently. Wan was awarded the honorary title of "loyal guard devoted to his mission" for his bravery and loyalty in carrying out his mission and task, according to the order. Wan and his men were patrolling the streets when a group of rioters started to attack passengers on a bus in Urumqi on July 5. He was surrounded and attacked by rioters while helping passengers escape. He later died of serious injuries. The State Council and the CMC also called on the army and police officers to learn from Wan's loyalty in carrying out his mission, bravery and fighting spirit and strong sense of responsibility in safeguarding national unity and social stability. The State Council and the CMC also called on the army and police to follow Wan's example and firmly fight against the criminal activities of lawbreakers to safeguard social stability , socialist legal system and the interests of the people. The July 5 riot in Urumqi left 197 people dead and more than 1, 600 injured. The homes of 633 families were damaged and 627 vehicles were destroyed. The reason why Wan Jingang was given such a high honor is that _ . A) he was an excellent officer in the Armed Police. B) he successfully arrested a lot of rioters in Urumqi on July 5th C) he lost his life while protecting people from being hurt by the rioters D) he was the only Armed Police officer who was killed in the riot
Ans: C
Blogs are being used more and more by teachers. Many Internet services now offer free and easy ways to create personal Web pages. Through comments on blogs, or Web logs, teachers can share their classroom experiences. They can exchange ideas and discuss successes and failures. They can debate educational policies. Or they can just sympathize with each other. A teacher in the American state of North Carolina recently wrote on her blog: "Apparently the teachers at my school use too much paper. So my principal yelled at everyone at the last staff meeting for, like, ten minutes. Now, I've just been told, we are not getting anymore paper for the rest of the year." This unidentified blogger is now in her third year of teaching, but still calls her sitefirstyearteacher.blogspot.com. A blogger who calls himself Minister Lawrence works as a substitute teacher. In April he wrote about a disputed plan to split the Omaha, Nebraska, public schools into separate systems for black, Latino and white students. Supporters say minority parents do not have enough power over their children's education. But Minister Lawrence wrote at teachersparadise.blogspot.com: "I'm afraid that what this says' to a lot of people is that blacks, whites and Hispanics are not equal, and "reinforces" racist beliefs among people." Educators did not become involved with blogging right away. Many were concerned with privacy issues and security. But now, thousands of teacher blogs can be found on the Internet. Many teachers do not identify themselves, and they change the names of students and co-workers. Minister Lawrence's blogs are about _ A) classroom experiences B) teaching plans C) educational policies D) the black minority
C