Archaeologists used DNA taken from a broken clay pipe stem found in Maryland to build a picture of an enslaved woman who died around 200 years ago and had origins in modern-day Sierra Leone. One researcher called the work “a mind-blower.”
“In this particular context, and from that time period, I think it’s a first,” team member Hannes Schroeder told The Washington Post. “To be able to get DNA from an object like a pipe stem is quite exciting. Also it is exciting for descendant(后裔) communities. Through this technology, they’re able to make a connection not only to the site but potentially back to Africa.”
The pipe stem was found at the Belvoir plantation in Crownsville, Maryland, where enslaved people lived until 1864 and where a likely slave cemetery was recently found. DNA taken from the pipe linked back to a woman either directly from or descended from the Mende people, who lived in west Africa, in an area now part of Sierra Leone.
Julie Schablitsky, the chief archaeologist with the Maryland state highway administration, told The Post the discovery, based on saliva(唾液) absorbed into the clay pipe, was a “mind-blower”. She also said records show the existence of a slave trade route Sierra Leone to Annapolis, plied(定期往来) by British and American ships. “As soon as people stepped on those slave ships in Africa,” she said, “whether they were from Benin or whether they were from Sierra Leone, wherever they were from, that identity was lost. Their humanity is robbed. Who they are as a people has gone.”
The new analysis is part of ongoing research around Belvoir that has given descendants of the people enslaved there new insight into the lives of their ancestors. Speaking to The Post, Nancy Daniels, a genealogist from Laurel, Maryland, who thinks she is a descendant of enslaved families from Belvoir but was not linked to the research on the pipe, called the discovery “overwhelming.” “I’m sitting here about ready to cry,” she said. “I’m sorry. I'm so happy ... Thank God for the DNA.”
This year, events and ceremonies are being held to mark the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved people in America, at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619.
1.What does the phrase “a mind-blower” in paragraphs 1 and 4 refer to?
A.A surprise. B.A confusion.
C.An excitement. D.A fascination.
2.According to Hannes Schroeder, the pipe stem was of great significance because________.
A.it was the first direct evidence that slaves living in Maryland were originally from Africa
B.it helped the archaeologists to draw a portrait of the enslaved woman
C.it might contribute to identifying the birthplace of the descendant communities
D.it contained genetic clues to the ancestral background of its owner
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A.The owner of the pipe once lived in what is now an area in west Africa.
B.The history of slavery in America is an ongoing topic of concern.
C.African slaves lost their identities when they arrived at the Belvoir plantation.
D.Nancy Daniels, a genealogist was sorry for not being involved in the research.
4.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A.DNA from an old pipe throws lights on the origins of the enslaved
B.A new research reveals the origins of enslaved African woman
C.The descendants of enslaved people seek their identities
D.DNA contributes to the breakthrough of a new research
One man’s white bread is another man’s green vegetables.
That’s the key from The Personalised Diet, a new book from Israeli authors Eran Segal and Eran Elinav. The authors say it’s time to admit to ourselves that one-size-fits-all diets don’t work, and when it comes to nutrition,it’s about doing what works best for your body, not catching the latest diet fashion.
“For years,we’ve been trying to search for that silver-bullet diet and we’ve been miserably failing,” Segal said. “And that’s because the best diet for each person really has to be tailored to that individual.”
They conducted a personalised nutrition project at Weizmann, where hundreds of volunteers agreed to have their blood sugar tested after meals. One participant in the study, a woman named Ruti, said she was surprised that it was tomatoes -- not ice cream or candies -- that were raising her blood sugar level. Ruti recalled, “I have now significantly reduced my intake of tomato and I’m feeling much more energetic, which still surprises me. I have already lost a couple of pounds, and I have high hopes that I have finally found the answer to my weight struggle, too.”
The Israeli scientists found that some people can consume traditionally unhealthy foods with little or no rise in their blood sugar levels, while others have a stronger response, and therefore shouldn’t eat those foods. It’s those kinds of results that you can only find from a personalised diet.
“What we were surprised to find out was just like any other food, there is no such thing as good bread,” Elinav said. “The response to bread was completely individualised.”
1.What is suggested in the first sentence?
A.Everyone has their own tastes.
B.Nutrition serves your body best.
C.People’s response to the same food is different.
D.The latest diet doesn’t fit each person.
2.What does “that silver-bullet diet” refer to?
A.A diet that is low in fat.
B.A diet that begins a new diet trend.
C.A diet that works best for everyone.
D.A diet that provides all the nutrition.
3.Ruti’s example suggests that to control weight, one needs to .
A.eat much fewer tomatoes
B.control their blood sugar levels
C.struggle for weight loss constantly
D.eat according to his or her blood sugar level
4.Why is Elinav’s opinion on bread mentioned in the last paragraph?
A.To advise people not to eat unhealthy food.
B.To stress the need of the personalised diet.
C.To explain the popularity of white bread.
D.To show the importance of good bread.
As unpleasant emotions go, anxiety is the roughest. It's a vague, pit-of-the-stomach fear that sneaks up to you -- that unease you get when your boss says that she needs to talk to you right away, when the phone rings at 4:00 a.m., or when your dentist looks into your mouth and says "Hmm" for the third time.
Lingering anxiety can keep you up at night, make you irritable, undermine your ability to concentrate, and ruin your appetite. And the constant state of readiness generated by anxiety--- adrenaline pumping, heart racing, palms sweating--may contribute to high blood pressure and heart disease.
How to prevent anxiety then?
Meditate. Maybe you're just high-strung. If so, meditation(冥想) is worth a try. It cultivates a calmness that eases anxious feelings and offers a sense of control. A study at the University of Massachusetts found that volunteers who took an 8-week meditation course were considerably less anxious afterward. People who are high-strung find that they are dramatically calmer with 20 minutes of meditation in the morning and another 20 minutes after dinner.
Jog,walk, swim, or cycle. If you can't make time for meditation, be sure to make time for regular exercise. Exercise can have the same calming effect as meditation, particularly if it's something repetitive like running or swimming laps.
Treatment?
Remember to breathe. When you're anxious, you tend to hold your breath or breathe too shallowly. That makes you feel more anxious. Breathing slowly and deeply can have a calming effect. To make sure that you're breathing correctly, place your hand on your diaphragm(横膈膜), just below your rib cage(胸腔). Feel it rise with each inhalation(吸气) and fall with each exhalation.
Let's say you are anxious about your competence on the job. Ask yourself "What, in particular, am I afraid that I'll mess up?" Maybe you’re afraid that you get further behind and miss your deadlines. Or maybe you're worried that you're blowing it whenever you present your ideas in meetings. Are your worries founded? Have you had several near misses with deadlines? Are your suggestions routinely rejected? If not, the anxiety is needless. If there is a real problem, work on a solution: Pace yourself to better meet deadlines, or join a public speaking class.
1.Which of the following symptoms is NOT directly caused by anxiety?
A.Lower in concentration. B.No appetite.
C.Heart racing. D.High blood pressure.
2.According to the passage, what can be done to avoid anxiety?
A.Exercising regularly. B.Keeping breath steady.
C.Breathing with the help of hands. D.Adjusting the pace of life.
3.What is the last paragraph about?
A.Anxiety at work and its solutions. B.People's anxiety about their capabilities.
C.The reason for someone's incompetence. D.The function of public speaking class.
NEW HAVEN, Connecticut —— A surprise awaited students in Yale who showed up for Professor Laurie Santos’s class. They got slips of paper that said, “No class today.” There was only one rule for the students ‘ unexpected free time——They were not allowed to study, but to relax. Since exams and papers were coming up, everyone was tired and stressed. At this moment they were touched. With around applause, nine students hugged Santos, and two burst into tears.
Yet, cancelling class was not just a break. It was also a challenge, as she was asking them to stop worrying about their grades, even if it was just an hour. One student went to the Yale University Art Gallery for the first time in her four years at Yale. A group of students went to a recording studio and played a new song. More people were outside, and more were smiling. That’s why about 1,200 students were taking Santos’s class, called “Psychology and the Good Life,” the largest class in Yale’s 317-year history. Even non-Yale students had the chance to take Santos’s class. It was offered as an online course and she immediately became an Internet hit.
Skyler Robinson, one of her students, was at a loss for a while about what to do during his break, and then decided to take a nap. “It was a great nap,” he commented. Santos designed the class after she realized that her students kept busy through long days that seemed far more depressing and joyless than her own college years. “They feel they’re in this crazy rat race. They’re working so hard that they can’t take a single hour off. That’s awful.”
The ideas behind the class are simple. Santos said, “It is the hope that science can help students find peace among all the stresses and difficulties they face at college.” The lessons include showing more gratitude, performing acts of kindness and increasing social connections. The students really wanted to learn to lead a happy life in a science -driven way. Santos also noted the psychological happening of “mis-wanting”, which led people to work towards the wrong goals in life.
One week, Santo asked students to exercise. Another week, she wanted them to get more sleep. They worked hard to keep some new habits. Social science research led to many new understandings of how people find happiness. She thinks her class can change Yale, or rather, not just Yale.
1.How did students respond to the cancelling class?
A. They expressed their concern.
B. They were at a loss what to do.
C. They showed gratitude to the teacher.
D. They were eager to study individually.
2.How can we know Santo’s class was popular?
A. From the attendence in her class.
B. From the subject she taught.
C. From the long history of Yale.
D. From the release of the online course.
3.What can students learn from Santos’s class?
A. To develop good study habits.
B. To let exercise become their routine.
C. To better understand how to find happiness.
D. To do something joyful during the stressful time.
4.What can we infer from the text?
A. Santos had a more stressful time in her college.
B. Students would be in rat race after Santos’s class.
C. Santos’s influence can reach a wider range of people.
D. Santos is going to cancel more classes for better effects.
假定你是李华，在加拿大交流学习期间，当地要举行黄梅戏演出活动。请你写一封信申请做志愿者，内容包括：
1.写信目的；
2.个人优势；
3.想做的事。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文, 请你修改你同桌写的以下作文, 文中共有10处语言错误, 每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加:在缺词处加一个漏词符号（∧), 并在其下面写出该添加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线（\)划掉。
修改:在错的词下面划一横线, 并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：
1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处, 多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Last Saturday, to celebrate the School Science Festival, our school invited a expert to teach us to making robots. When the expert came into our school, we give him a warm welcome and felt very exciting. At the beginning, he taught us some knowledges about making robots. We sat around him and listened careful. Then we started to have a try ourselves. Some of us put different parts of robots together or some programmed the robot with the help the expert. Finally, the robots that we made them were able to move under our control. Everyone were very proud of our success and the expert praised us.
