Passage 1 为什么蝙蝠携带致命病毒,自己却安然无恙? Where did novel coronavirus come from? As COVID-19 spreads throughout China and the rest of the world, an important question has yet to be answered: where did the virus come from? The latest study indicated that pangolins ( 穿山甲 ) may be an intermediate host of the virus, according to Xinhua. However, bats are suspected to be the original cause. “We don’t know the source yet, but there’s pretty strong evidence that this is a bat origin coronavirus,” said Peter Dazsak, president of EcoHealth Alliance, an environmental nonprofit , according to The New York Times. “When you look at the genetic sequence ( 基因序列 ) of the virus, and you match it up with every known coronavirus, the closest relatives are from bats,” Dazsak also told CNN. So why are bats the source of so many deadly kinds of viruses but they don’t suffer from any symptoms? As the only flying mammal ( 哺乳动物 ) with a long lifespan ( 寿命 ), bats’ body temperature is high, similar to a fever. It’s this fact that may contribute to bats’ unique immune system ( 免疫系统 ) in protecting them from the ill effects of viruses. But are bats truly to blame for the virus – or should we be blaming ourselves? Whether we destroy the forests where bats live or they end up on our plate, it’s the fault of humans for decreasing the distance between us and virus-carrying bats. Bats are an important animal in our ecosystem ( 生态系统 ) when it comes to pollinating ( 授粉 ) many fruits such as mangoes and bananas. We need to allow them to continue pollination and keep them away from our markets and mouths. 1. What can we learn about the origin of COVID-19? A. Bats have been confirmed to be its original cause. B. Pangolins are now considered the most likely source. C. It’s identified by comparing sources of various viruses. D. The virus was found to be genetically similar to those seen in bats. 2. Why don’t bats suffer from the coronavirus? A. Bats have a unique immune system. B. Their low body temperature protects them. C. Bats are the only flying mammal to live in groups. D. Living in caves helps bats fight against viruses. 3. What is the main point the author makes in the last paragraph? A. Virus-carrying bats should be killed. B. Humans should stay away from bats. C. Bats benefit but also harm our ecosystem. D. Bats could spread viruses during pollination. Passage 2 [ 阅读七选五 ] 在疫情中反思人与自然的关系 Reflect on our relation with nature UK physicist Isaac Newton once said, “ 1 .” Indeed, Mother Nature can provide almost everything human beings need if we follow her rules. But if we break the rules, she is likely to be cruel and lash out ( 迅猛攻击 ) at us. The outbreak of the novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) in China and some other countries at the beginning of this year is an example. 2 and probably has an intermediate host ( 中间宿主 ). It’s believed that the virus originated from the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, Hubei province, where live wild animals were sold. The Wall Street Journal reported that Dr Peter Daszak, president of the US-based health organization EcoHealth Alliance, said, “This outbreak is a lesson for us. On a global scale ( 规模 ), human population density ( 密度 ), wildlife diversity, and land use change are what drive new pandemics ( 流行病 ).” In the ancient times, people needed to rely on nature to survive so they held it in awe . For example, the American Indians believed that humans are a part of nature and nature is a part of humans. 3 However, as human beings master more knowledge and make more advanced tools, people try to change and even conquer nature. They use more land to make buildings, genetically modify ( 改变 ) plants, capture some wild and odd animals to suit their own needs. In this process, humans gradually lose contact with nature and even throw it out of balance. 4 , Brian Lamacraft at Medium said it’s time for people to “reflect on our relationship with our planet” and “reconnect with this world and everything that we’ve been given”. After all, according to US poet Gary Snyder, “ 5 ” A. Nature is not the place to visit. It’s our home B. Nature is pleased with simplicity and nature is no dummy C. Chinese ancients always pursued the harmony between nature and human beings D. It reminds us that the past outbreaks did severe damage to the human society E. Although we don’t know for sure what first caused the NCP outbreak F. The new coronavirus is similar to a virus found in a bat in 2017 G. The only mother of human beings are now facing a great threat-environmental problem