In the United States,many teachers keep fish,hamsters(仓鼠),and other animals in their classrooms.Teachers say students learn important lessons from the animals.More than 70 percent of teachers who have classroom pets say the animals help students learn responsibility.Research also shows that classroom pets can reduce stress.
“Pets can comfort kids who are having a bad day,”says Lisa Robbins,who works fora group called Pets in the Classroom.
But others think pets should be expelled from classrooms. In January,the Durango School District in Colorado began following a no-pet policy(政策).Now animals can be brought into Durango schools for certain lessons,but they can't stay.Officials were worried that animals might create problems for kids with allergies(过敏症).They were also concerned about the animals getting proper care.
Here's what two of our readers think.
Having classroom pets gives students a fun way to learn about animals. In my class last year,we had a class pet named Elliot.Our teacher also used him to teach us about different subjects.For example,in math,we calculated (计算)how much it costs to feed Elliot for a year.
Pets also help kids learn how to work as a team. My classmates and I took turns feeding Elliot and cleaning his tank,
If teachers are worried about students with allergies,they could get pets that don't have fur.
—D' Lasia Mays,Texas
Classroom pets can take away valuable class time.Some students might have a hard time focusing on the teacher when there are animals in the room.
Plus,having a classroom pet can cause safety problems. You never know how an animal will react to students.Even a cute little hamster might hurt a kid who sticks his or her hand in its cage.
—Patrick McKinney,Ohio
【小题1】What does the underlined word " expelled”in Paragraph 3 probably mean?A.Allowed. | B.Removed. |
C.Protected. | D.Educated. |
A.Classroom pets are not allowed at schools. |
B.Animals are not allowed at schools. |
C.Many teachers have pets without fur. |
D.Many students are allergic to animals. |
A.He needs special training. | B.He needs more proper care. |
C.He has educational value for kids. | D.He is not only lovely but very smart. |
A.The author. | B.Lisa Robbins. |
C.Patrick McKinney. | D.D' Lasia Mays’ teacher. |
Scientists often compare coral reefs(珊瑚礁) to underwater rainforests, yet unlike the leafy plant base of a forest, corals are animals. The soft creatures are naturally half-transparent and get their brilliant color from algae(藻类) living inside them. When corals experience stress from hot temperatures or pollution, they halt the interdependent relationship with algae, typically pushing them out and turning white. Corals are still alive when they are white, but they're at risk and many eventually die, turning dark brown.
Scientists around the world are looking for means to protect and maybe increase corals. One common option is to create more protected areas — essentially national parks in the ocean. Beyond nature preserves, some conservationists are looking to more hands-on methods. One research center in the Florida Keys is exploring a form of natural selection to keep corals remaining. The reef system in the Keys has been hit hard by climate change and pollution, which is especially tough, because corals there help support fisheries worth $ 100 million every year.
To keep the wild ecosystem alive, Erinn Muller, the center's director, and her team are harvesting samples of the corals that survived the environmental stress naturally, keeping them to make them reproduce, and then reattaching them to the reef. They have 46,000 corals on plastic frames under the sea. So far, the center has regrown over 70,000 corals from five different species on damaged reefs.
In The Bahamas, Ross Cunning, a research biologist at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, focuses on corals with genes that could make them natural candidates for restoration projects. He published a study of two Bahamian reefs, one that survived an extreme 2015 heat wave, and one that didn't. "We think their ability to deal with these higher temperatures is built into their genes," says Cunning. There's evidence of corals evolving more quickly to resist rapidly warming climate. The big question scientists need investigate, adds Gunning, is how much more heat corals can adapt to.
【小题1】What does the underlined word "halt" in the first paragraph mean?A.End. | B.Develop. | C.Strengthen. | D.Weaken. |
A.Restore the damaged reefs. | B.Grow corals by hand underwater. |
C.Create more protected areas. | D.Move corals to unpolluted areas. |
A.Many corals have been genetically improved. | B.Cooling down the waters is key to rescuing corals. |
C.Reasons for corals surviving heat waves are shocking. | D.The highest temperature corals can survive is unclear. |
A.Relationship between corals and algae | B.Efforts made to save corals |
C.Impact of climate warming on corals | D.Survival crisis faced by coral reefs |
An amateur fossil hunter has unearthed a new type of prehistoric “sea dragon” on the beach of the UK's Dorset Coast. The new 2m-long ichthyosaur is named “Etches sea dragon”,after fossil collector Dr. Steve Etches, who found it buried head-first. Ichthyosaurs are called sea dragons for their usually very large teeth and eyes. He thought its teeth were unusual,so he passed it on to experts at the University of Portsmouth to identify(鉴定).There,a Masters student, Megan Jacobs, who has spent several years working on ichthyosaurs, identified it as a new species, which lived 150 million years ago.
The find is the UK's fifth known ichthyosaur from the Late Jurassic periods,and by far the smallest so far.
The fossil was found near Kimmeridge Bay—part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. When it died, the seafloor would have been very soft mud, allowing the front half of the animal to sink into the mud, before other animals came along and ate the tail end.Being buried in a bed of soft mud meant it was preserved in exceptional condition and even some of its soft tissues were preserved.
Megan said, “Fossils of Late Jurassic ichthyosaurs in the UK are extremely rare. I did some research,comparing it with those known from other Late Jurassic fossils found around the world. It was very exciting that I didn’t find a match. Steve's extraordinary collection contains many new and exciting animals, and it was a real honor to have the chance to describe this ichthyosaur.”
Professor David Martill,who leads the palaeontology(古生物学)research,said, “Steve is an exceptional fossil collector and although he is sometimes referred to as an amateur collector, he has done so much for palaeontology that he has been awarded an MBE, Member of the British Empire, and is truly a professional.”He added, “If it were not for collectors like Steve,scientists would have very few specimens(样本)to work on. ’’
【小题1】What did Steve Etches do after finding the ichthyosaur?A.He spent years studying it. | B.He sent it to a university. |
C.He named it after himself. | D.He announced it’s a new species. |
A.The largest sea dragons once lived there. |
B.Fossils found there usually have soft tissues. |
C.It is very popular among fossil hunters worldwide. |
D.The seafloor there was once covered with soft mud. |
A.Confirming the uniqueness of the fossil. |
B.Admiring Steve’s extraordinary collections. |
C.Finding a matching name for the new ichthyosaur. |
D.Seeing other Late Jurassic’s fossils around the world. |
A.He had a good taste of collections. |
B.He contributed a lot to palaeontology. |
C.He set an example for other amateur collectors. |
D.He did better than professional palaeontologists. |
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