2021年4月 英语（专升本）真题
课程代码：00015或13000

Animals in the City

Recently, there have been many reports in newspapers and on TV about big animals coming into towns and cities. What happens when big animals come into our cities? Is it a good thing or is it dangerous for us and the animals?

Wild animals usually come into cities to look for food. In Cape Town, South Africa, baboons (狒狒) sometimes come into the suburbs. They eat fruit from gardens and go into people's kitchens! Baboons are strong animals and sometimes they scare children and fight with pet dogs. Many people do not like them, but the city can be dangerous for baboons too. Sometimes, baboons are hurt in car accidents. The city council in Cape Town has a team of Baboon Monitors. Their job is to find baboons in the city and take them back to the countryside. The problem is that a lot of baboons will come back to the city to find food again.

In Berlin, Germany, groups of wild pigs sometimes come into the city to look for food. They eat flowers and plants and dig in gardens and parks in the city. They also walk in the street and cause traffic accidents. Some city residents like the pigs and give them food. But the city council is worried about the traffic accidents. They have told people to stop giving the pigs food and have put up fences to stop the pigs from coming into the city.

In Moscow, Russia, there are 35,000 wild dogs. They live in parks, empty houses, markets and train stations. Some of the dogs were pets that people did not want, so they left them on the streets. Others were born on the streets and have always lived there. A lot of people like them and are used to seeing them on the streets. They give the dogs food and water. They even build small huts for the dogs to live in during the very cold winter.

What Happens When You Stop Exercising

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you stopped exercising? A new study on twins was published in the journal Medicine & Science. The results of the study are dramatic.

In the study, researchers looked at 10 pairs of twin men. Each set of twins was in their mid-30s. Each had been brought up in the same family. Since they were identical, they shared the same DNA. They had maintained the same level of physical activity for most of their lives. But there was one difference. One twin of each set had cut on exercising in the past few years due to work or family pressure. On average, the less active twin exercised less than twice a week, while the active twin exercised at least twice a week. The research team put each twin through a set of medical tests to study their overall health.

The results showed big differences. While the more active twins had lower body fat percentage, better endurance level, and normal sensitivity, the inactive twins had about seven more pounds of body fat, worse endurance, and signs of disease. Not only were their bodies different; their brains were different as well. The active twins had more gray matter (the information processing part of the brain), particularly in areas that control balance.

The conclusion of the study is clear. Quitting your fitness routine can bring negative effects to your body and your brain as well. Considering the less active twins in the study had become couch potatoes (沉溺于看电视的人) only recently, these changes can sneak up on you a lot sooner than you'd think. So keep exercising. It is beneficial to your overall health!

Surviving Illness Away From Home

①Pampering (娇惯) yourself is always a good start. If you feel so ill and tired that you can't even get out of bed, then don't! Make a trip to the kitchen and stock up on fluids and try to make yourself some hot food. The key to getting better is to drink lots of fluids. Water and hot drinks such as green tea and soup are usually the best things.

②Try to distract yourself from feeling horrible. If you have a TV, watch one of your favorite films or TV series. If you don't have a TV, maybe put the radio on. If you have a headache and all the noise is too much to handle, try reading the book you've always wanted to read but never had the time to. Being ill doesn't have to be the worst day in the world!

③Tell your friends and family that you are ill. Sometimes there is nothing better than hearing words of comfort from loved ones who feel sorry for you and want to cheer you up and make you happy. There is nothing wrong with a little attention from others when you're ill. Who knows, they might even be willing to travel and visit you with lots of "Get Well" presents like your favorite food, magazine or flowers.

④When you do arrive at a new place where you will be staying for a few months, make sure you know exactly where the nearest drugstore is. If you are in a foreign country, it might be best to translate a few useful phrases before you start asking for a cure.