Mice and rats have long been used in medical research because of their biological similarities to humans. Recently scientists at the University of Richmond in Virginia have trained rats to drive small vehicles.
The research team built tiny cars out of plastic and other materials, which had an opening at one end to which electrical wires were attached. By touching one of three different wires, the rat could control the car in different directions-left, center and right. Sweet treats were placed inside the containers in an attempt to get the rats to drive the vehicle for the food. After several months' training, the animals could drive to get to the treats.
Kelly Lambert, who has long been interested in the way the brain changes to react to different experiences and difficulties, led the experiment. She told the French news agency AFP the research suggested rat brains might be more complex and flexible than once thought. The driving activity seemed to help the rats relax and the rats kept in what was called “enriched environments” performed far better than those in labs.
The researchers examined levels of two hormones (荷尔蒙) in the rats — one that causes stress and the other that counters it. All the rats that took part in the training had higher levels of the hormone that reduces stress. The research suggests the increased relaxation levels could be linked to the enjoyment of successfully completing a new skill. The team also found the rats that drove themselves showed higher levels of the stress-fighting hormone than those that simply rode in small cars controlled by humans.
Lambert's team is planning to further the research to learn more about how the rats learned to drive. This research may open new areas of non-drug treatments for people suffering from mental health conditions.
1.Why have scientists chosen rats for the research?
A.They can build tiny vehicles on their own.
B.They are biologically similar to human beings.
C.They are clever enough to be trained to drive cars.
D.They can be used as non-drug treatments for humans.
2.What does the underlined word "counters" in paragraph 4 mean?
A.removes. B.substitutes.
C.resists. D.transforms.
3.What can we learn about the experiment?
A.The brains of rats might be more complex and flexible than those of human beings.
B.The increased relaxation levels led to the rats' enjoyment of learning a new skill.
C.All the rats involved in the training had higher levels of the hormone causing stress.
D.The rats in cars controlled by humans had lower levels of the stress-fighting hormone.
4.In which section of a newspaper may this text appear?
A.Science. B.Sports.
C.Education. D.Entertainment.
An unusual trip to Hawaii brought two strangers closer and closer and their story deserves a wide spread.
As her plane sliced through the sky above the ocean, there came a sudden thunderstorm. Five minutes later, Uemoto and her copilot McMahon heard a strange sound. Then, without warning, they lost power to both of the engines. It took them a moment to process the fact that they might crash. The pilots powered through the items on the emergency checklist. Nothing worked. As the plane was falling, they jumped into the ocean.
By ten that night, their bodies began trembling uncontrollably in the cool night air. Something must be done to pull them through. Swimming on her stomach, Uemoto had McMahon wrap his arms around her knees so he could rest his head on the back of her legs. To be with someone else and to feel another person's comforting presence in the darkness somehow made the suffering bearable.
When the sun rose the next morning, they caught sight of the island of Hawaii, the destination they had dared dream! Suddenly, Uemoto saw a shark, which made her breath catch in her throat. "What do we do? What do we do?" Uemoto asked, panicked. "Just keep looking forward! If it comes close, I'll kick it in the eye!" said McMahon evenly. Unexpectedly, the shark circled them for about 30 minutes. Then, as quietly as it had appeared, it swam off. Uemoto and McMahon breathed a sigh of relief.
After struggling in the water for over 20 hours, there came a US Navy helicopter. It flew overhead and next banked towards them. Uemoto and McMahon burst into tears. Alone, either of them would have died. But together, they made it.
1.What caused the plane to crash?
A.A sudden thunderstorm hit the plane.
B.The engines of the plane broke down.
C.The pilots operated the plane improperly.
D.The emergency list failed to help the pilots.
2.What do we know about McMahon in paragraph 4?
A.He calmed his partner down.
B.He kicked the shark in the eye.
C.He was scared to death at the shark.
D.He managed to drive the shark away.
3.Which of the following best describes Uemoto and McMahon?
A.Ambitious and humorous. B.Clear-headed and generous.
C.Demanding and appealing. D.Strong-willed and considerate.
4.What may be the best title of the passage?
A.A Race against Death
B.A Test of Friendship
C.A Wonder Made by Joined Hands
D.A Struggle Fought in the Darkness
Camp Odayin provides fun, safe and supportive camp experiences and community building opportunities for young people and their families this year.
Winter Camp February 15 - February 17
It is hosted in Amery, a two-hour drive from the Twin Cities and free round trip transportation is provided from Minneapolis and Madison. This camp is for children who have attended Residential Camp or Day Camp before. Campers can experience snowshoeing, skiing and snowboarding. Registrations are processed during December & January.
Moms Retreat May 16 - May 17
Scheduled in downtown Stillwater, Moms Retreat will seek to improve the quality of caregivers' life. It will include meals, boarding and yoga activities.
Registration will open in April for moms that receive the email invitation from Camp Odayin. If the limit is reached, we will start a wait list.
Residential Camp July 13 - July 18
Campers will have a chance to communicate with other young people sharing the same grade. Hosted in Lutherdale, it will include swimming, horseback riding and talent show. The approval by the Camp Odayin Director is necessary.
Registration will open in early March and is due May 1st.
Family Camp October 26 - November 1
Hosted in Camp Lake, the camp is a two-night commitment for families with children suffering from heart diseases, who will benefit from connecting with other families who have similar health, emotional and social concerns. Activities will include drawing, fancy dress balls and movies.
Families who have a child in 12th grade or younger (no minimum age) can attend. Camper registration is available online in late August.
1.Which camp is intended for previous campers only?
A.Moms Retreat. B.Winter Camp.
C.Residential Camp. D.Family Camp.
2.Where can you go if you choose to register on August 28?
A.To Amery. B.To Stillwater.
C.To Camp Lake. D.To Lutherdale.
3.What is special about Residential Camp?
A.It offers a variety of activities.
B.It provides access to shopping.
C.It allows sick children to participate.
D.It requires the camp leader's approval.
Britain's got talent——but we're still wasting it. That's the main finding of a new report by researchers from Oxford University. Children of similar cognitive (认知) ability have very different chances of educational success； it still depends on their parents' economic, socio-cultural and educational resources. This contradicts a commonly held view that our education system has developed enough to give everyone a fighting chance. The researchers looked at data from groups of children born in three decades: 1950s, 1970s and 1990s.
They found significant evidence of a wastage of talent. Individuals with high levels of cognitive ability but with disadvantages in their social origins are unable to translate their ability into educational achievement to the same extent as their more advantaged counterparts (对照组). The research, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, found that only about half of the difference in educational achievement between children from advantaged and disadvantaged parental backgrounds is due to differences in their cognitive ability. The other half is due to other factors (因素)associated with their backgrounds.
“If we compare the educational achievement of children born in the 1990s to those in the late 1950s and early 1970s, we see that parents' economic resources have become a less important factor, but their socio-cultural and educational resources have grown in significance," says Dr. Bukodi. “That means that your parents' place in society and their own level of education still play a big part in how well you may do."
These experts are now calling for policy-makers to acknowledge that formal qualifications is only one channel for upward mobility (流动性)for high-ability individuals of disadvantaged backgrounds. Dr. Bukodi says, “These findings show that there are limits to how far inequalities of opportunity can be reduced through educational policy alone. Changes in educational policy aren't having the powerful effect we want."
1.What is the main finding of the research?
A.We're wasting talent due to education system.
B.Children of similar cognitive ability have different chances of educational success.
C.Children's cognitive ability depends on different educational resources.
D.Education system has developed enough to give chilidren a fighting chance.
2.How does the author mainly develop the text?
A.By making a comparison.
B.By discussing a result.
C.By giving examples.
D.By presenting reasons.
3.According to Dr. Bukodi, what affects children's educational achievement greatly?
A.Children's cognitive ability.
B.Parents' economic resouces.
C.Educational policy.
D.Parents' socio-cultural and educational backgrounds.
4.What is the author's attitude towards the finding of the new report?
A.Favorable. B.Objective.
C.Doubtful. D.Negative.
A 23-year-old British woman has invented a product she hopes will one day replace single-use plastic.
The new product is made by combining fishing waste and algae (水藻).It could be used to replace plastic bags or containers that people use once and throw away. Lucy Hughes created the material, called MarinaTex, for her final year project at the University.
MarinaTex is edible, to put it in another way, it can be tasted without danger. Hughes says it is also strong and stable. But unlike plastic, MarinaTex biodegrades (生物降解)in four to six weeks under normal conditions and does not pollute the soil. The inventor said she is concerned about the growing amounts of plastics in ocean waters. She noted one report that there would be more plastic than fish in the world's oceans by the year 2050. The United Nations estimates that 100 million tons of plastic waste has already been left in the oceans. Hughes also was investigating ways to reduce the amount of waste from the fishing industry. The industry produces an estimated 50 million tons of waste worldwide each year, UN officials say.
Examining fish parts left over from processing helped to give her the idea for a material that was useful and did no harm to the environment. “Why do we need to have hundreds of man-made polymers (聚合体)when nature has so many already available?" she asked. After months of testing, Hughes produced a strong, flexible sheet that forms at temperatures below 100 degrees Celsius. Inventor James Dyson said that MarinaTex is “stronger, safer and much more sustainable (可持续的)”than plastic. It is also easier to break down. Hughes will receive about $ 41,000 prize money as the first place winner of the James Dyson Award. She plans to use the money to further develop the product and ways to mass produce it. "Further research and development will ensure that MarinaTex evolves further, and becomes part of a global answer to the abundance of single use plastic waste," Dyson said.
1.What do we know about MarinaTex?
A.It is a safe seafood.
B.It is a kind of waste.
C.It is a new kind of plastic.
D.It is a safe material that can replace plastic.
2.What does the underlined word “edible" in paragraph 2 mean?
A.Useful. B.Eatable.
C.Replaceable. D.Delicious.
3.What gets Hughes to creat MarinaTex?
A.Her concern about the growing amount of plastic in ocean.
B.Her occupational habit of trying out new things.
C.Her hope to help develop the fishing industry.
D.Her desire to win the prize money.
4.What can we infer from the last paragrach?
A.We need to have hundreds of MarinaTex available.
B.Hughes produced MarinaTex without much effort.
C.MarinaTex will be a good solution to plastic waste.
D.Hughes is the first winner of the James Dyson Award.
A letter to the editor complained about someone stringing toilet paper on their trees. That letter brought a flood of responses defending this act as being harmless to friends: “ It's an honor to get toilet papered", said one writer, “and good fun for teenagers."
Reading these letters brought me chuckles (轻声笑)and then tears as they woke old memories of my mother’s ninety-second year. She was seriously ill that autumn. And I watched, powerless.
A decade before, I helped her break out" of the nursing home. It was a fine place with a caring staff. But Mom didn't want skilled care: she wanted to live on her own and just needed some assistance to do so. Being in a more restrictive environment than necessary was bad for her condition. The risk paid off, and I was rewarded by seeing my mother once again enjoying her life.
Ten years later, Mom's health declined, and my care-giving duties increased. One evening, for some unexplainable reason, I invited my mother to go toilet papering!
This outing would push my mother to her physical limits. Was I making a mistake? Secretly we went to my brother's home. In his backyard, I handed Mom a roll of toilet paper. Without hesitation she shot it skyward...
Mom papered a dozen trees in four family yards that unforgettable evening. The day after our big adventure, Mom and I sent a card to each of our victim, signed “From your decorators". We laughed all the way home from the post office, like two schoolgirls.
My mother's last year was marked by physical decline. However, we shared some simple fun each day. Those light-hearted moments were like a salve (慰藉)，and they are the ones I'll always remember. Toilet papering has taught us that play is powerful medicine!
1.Why did the author cry when reading the letter?
A.She was blamed for toilet papering.
B.It brought her childhood memory.
C.She thought of her sick mother.
D.It was very stressful.
2.The author helped her leave the nursing home in order that ____.
A.Mom could enjoy a free life
B.Mom could get more skilled home care
C.the nursing cost could be cut down
D.they could avoid taking risk
3.What can we learn from the mother's experience of toilet papering?
A.They did some damage to four family yards.
B.They were made to apologize for their mistakes.
C.Toilet papering made her illness worsened.
D.Toilet papering brought them much pleasure.
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A.A Letter of Complaint
B.Love Between Daughter and Mother
C.The Curing Power of Toilet Papering.
D.An Unforgettable Evening in Family Yards
