The ecosystem is 1ike a chain.If any of the links are broken,the whole system is in danger.This is why wetland protection has been put high on the agenda in recent years.Zhao,vice--director of the State Forestry Administration,says nearly 60 percent of the country's natural wetlands are still not under effective protection.Most Chinese people are ignorant about the importance of protecting the wetlands. Ocean,forestry and wetlands are the three global ecological systems.Wetlands can conserve and purify water resources, prevent flooding and help protect the ecosystem. As well as ecological values, they can also offer economical returns. In recent years,many wetlands have become farmland.Drawing too much underground water,hunting and fishing also ruin their ecological system. Every year,the wetlands in the Sanjiang Plain of Northeast China provide habitat for birds.Local residents search the area for the birds' eggs. They consider the eggs to be a natural gift. rather than wildlife that should be protected. If they were educated,perhaps this is one activity that could be brought to an end. China is now ready to make a plan to save some of these areas.Some have been restored to raise awareness among the public.But these moves are not enough.There should be laws in place to provide legal support to the fight. Environment protection is a campaign which needs support from everyone in society.Education may be the first step. How do you understand the phrase "put....high on the agenda"? A) Put on a high wall B) catch a glimpse of C) pay more attention to D) come up with
C
New crime prediction software should reduce not only the murder rate, but the rate of other crimes. Developed by Richard Berk, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, the software has already used in Baltimore and Philadelphia to predict which individuals on probation or parole are most likely to murder and to be murdered. "When a person goes on probation or parole he is supervised by an officer. The question is 'what level of supervision is appropriate?'" said Berk. It used to be that parole officers used the person's criminal record, and their judgment to make decisions. "This research replaces those _ ," he said. Technology helps determine level of supervision. On average there is one murder for every 100,000 people. Even among high-risk groups the murder rate is one in 100. Predicting such a rare event is very difficult, but advances in computer technology works. Years ago, the researchers made a dataset of more than 60,000 various crimes. Using the software they developed, they found some much more likely to commit murder when paroled or probated. They could identify eight future murderers out of 100. Berk's software examines roughly two dozen variables , from criminal record to geographic location. The type of crimes, and more importantly, the age at which that crime was committed, were two of the most predictive variables. "People assume that if someone murdered then they will murder in the future," said Berk. " What really matters is what that person did as a young individual. Predicting future crimes sounds well. But we aren't anywhere near being able to do that." "Berk's scientific answer leaves policymakers with difficult questions. By labeling one group of people as high risk, and supervise them closely, there should be fewer murders, which the potential victims should be happy about. It also means that those high-risk individuals will be supervised more aggressively. For human rights advocates, that means punishing people who, most likely, will not commit a crime in the future," said... For 650 people with crime records, how many potential murderers would the software find? A) 6.5. B) 13. C) 52. D) 65.
C
Q: Design your own adventure spent at IZE's Blue Creek Field Station by choosing activities per day from the list below. Short Cave Hike: 2-hour activity where you will be exposed to the ultimate tropical rainforest experience. At every turn along the trail,a novel experience awaits. Perhaps it's a trail of leaf cutter ants or a delicate tree snake. You will follow your Maya Guides up a steep incline to the entrance of one of the most wonderful limestone caves in Belize. Ethnobotany Walk: 3-hour activity where you will explore the medical and cookery uses of the local herbs,plants and trees. The Mayans were masters in using the jungle's natural resources for their medical needs. You will learn about the vines that store drinking water and other remarkable remedies that nature offers. You will get a first-hand look at the crops the Maya harvest such as cocoa,mango , rice, beans, etc. Hokeb Ha Cave Hike:Spend time in one of the most spectacular limestone caves in Belize. The name of this cave means "where the water enters the earth". Stalactites hang from the ceiling, and colonies of bats live in the darkest gaps. You can also search for Mayan artificial crafts over l,000 years old. Lizard Hike: 2-4 hour activity where you will swim and hike along the clear blue river as you look for lizards in the tall trees. Can you identify which species? Is it the spectacular dinosaur that looks like green lizards? Belize is home to many of the 3,800 species of lizards in the worldi What will you choose to improve the skills of living in the wild? A) Ethnobotany Walk. B) Short Cave Hike. C) Lizard Hike. D) Hokeb Ha Cave Hike
A: A
Q: "Have you ever been out on a boat and felt it lifted up by a wave? Or have you jumped in the water and felt the rush of energy as waves came over you?" asked Jamie Taylor of the Wave Energy Group at the prefix = st1 /UniversityofEdinburgh."There is certainly a lot of energy in waves," he said.Scientists are working to use that energy to make electricity.Most waves are created when winds blow across the ocean."The wind starts out by making little ripples , but if they keep on blowing, those ripples get bigger and bigger and turn into waves," Taylor said." Waves are one of nature 's ways of picking up energy and then sending it off on a journey. When waves come toward the shore, people can set up dams to block the water and send it through a large wheel called a turbine .The turbine can then power an electrical generator to produce electricity . "The resource is huge," said Janet Swain of the World watch Institute."We will never run out of wave power." Besides, wave energy does not create the same pollution as other energy sources, such as oil or coal.Oceans cover three-quarters of the Earth's surface - that would make wave power seem ideal for creating energy throughout the world, though there are some weak points yet to overcome. Swain said that wave power still costs too much money.She also said that its effects on sea animals are still unknown.What is more, wave power could affect fishing and boat traffic. Traditional sources of energy like oil and gas may someday run out." Demand for energy to power our TVs and computers, drive our cars, and heat and cool our homes is rising rapidly throughout the world," Swain said.In the future when you turn on a light, an ocean wave could be providing the electricity! We can make better use of wave energy if we _ . A) shorten its journey to thousands of homes B) build more small power stations on the oceans C) reduce the cost of turning it into electric power D) quicken the steps of producing electricity
A: C