Endangered Wild Animals in China

Word Box: endangered 濒危 survivors 幸存者 giant 巨大的 mammal 哺乳动物 alligator 扬子  鳄 mussel 河蚌  reptile 爬行动物 

根据表格所提供的信息选择最佳答案。

    Since the beginning of history, man has been fascinated by the idea of living forever, of winning the fight against death and disease. So far, this has only remained a dream, though a very powerful one. Many people have wondered whether it would be possible to find a way to preserve human bodies, and what would be the best way to preserve human bodies.

    It has long been known that meat or fruit can be kept fresh for long periods by freezing; in ancient China, for example, food was stored with ice to keep it fresh. This method could also be useful for preserving humans, and in fact many people have explored this possibility.

    However, most living beings that exist under warm conditions die when frozen. This is because of the harmful effects of freezing ice crystals, which are not only larger than the volume of the water originally in the cells, but also form sharp cutting shapes that harm the cells.

    In the 1940s Dr B. J. Luyet and a group of scientists in England were working on the problem of freezing cells without damaging them. Since the harm caused by ice crystals was the main cause of the damage, Luyet suggested removing some or all of the water from the cells before freezing them.

    Using living cells from chicken, Luyet and his assistants discovered that they could partly dry the chicken cells, using a mixture of the white part of an egg and glycerin, a clear thick liquid made chiefly from fats and oils. Some success was obtained. The chicken cells were dried, frozen for a period of time, and then carefully unfrozen.

    Almost all the cells recovered when they reached normal temperature. Since then, the cooling of whole animals to a temperature very much below freezing point for later unfreezing has become more of a possibility, and the glycerin method would probably be used to accomplish this. When this can be done completely and successfully, science will have moved much closer to its aim of freezing and storing incurable patients until the day they can be cured.

    Scientists found that moderate (适度的) noise can make people more creative, The New York Times reported.

    Scientists did tests on students. They divided them into four groups. They then asked the students to do certain tasks involving creative thinking. But each group did the task with different volumes (音量) of background noise. They found that students did best when working under moderate noise—70 decibels (分贝). This is about the same volume of background noise in a cafe. Students did worse in low noise (50 dB). This is the volume of a quiet room. They did the poorest when in a high-noise (85 dB) environment. This is the noise level in a factory.

    Moderate noise can distract (分心) people just enough so that they think more creatively. "It helps you think outside the box," Raci Mehta, a lead researcher in the study, said to the Business Standard. On the one hand, working in a very quiet place can strengthen our focus. But it also stops

    us from thinking abstractly (抽象).

    "This is why if you are too focused on a problem and you can't solve it," said Mehta, "you leave it for some time and then come back to it and you'll get the solution."

    However, the scientists said that when you need to do detailed things, like proofreading (校对) a paper, a quiet place is better than a noisy one.

    RIVER DOLPHIN RUNNING OUT OF TIME

The Yangtze dolphin is the only kind of dolphin that lives in freshwater all its life. Scientists say that the finless freshwater dolphin that has lived in the Yangtze River for over 20 million years, will die out in 15 years. It's in danger of disappearing forever.

    Dangers:

    Dredging(挖掘) of their habitat

    Heavy boat traffic in the Yangtze River

    Insecticide(杀虫剂) and mercury(汞)

Why play games？Because they are fun，and a lot more besides. Following the rules，planning your next move

Think about some of the games you played as a young child，such as rope﹣jumping and hide﹣and﹣seek. Some games are entertaining and fun. But perhaps more importantly，they translate life into exciting dreams that teach children some of the basic rules they will be expected to follow the rest of their lives，such as taking turns and teamwork. 

Many children's games have a practical side. Children around the world play games that prepare them for work they will do as adults. For example，some Saudi Arabian children play a game called bones. It can be very helpful to exercise their hands and eyes，which is needed in hunting. 

Many sports encourage national or local pride. The most famous games of all，the Olympic Games，bring athletes from around the world together to take part in the friendly competition. People who watch the event wave flags，not just the athlete who has got it. For countries experiencing natural disasters or war，an Olympic win can mean so much. 

Sports are also an event that brings people together. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. People on all continents play it﹣﹣some for fun and some for a living. Nicolette Iribarne，a Californian soccer player，has discovered a way to spread hope through soccer. He set up an organization which can provide poor children with not only soccer balls but also a hopeful future. 

Next time，when you play your favorite game or sport，think about why you enjoy it，and whether these skills will help you in your life.