Sea otters (海獭) are pretty small compared to other marine mammals (哺乳动物).which means that, despite their fur coats, they tend to lose het quickly, and need lots of energy to keep up their body temperature.
"So they need to eat 25 percent of their body weight each day," says Sarah McKay Strobel, a sensory ecologist at UC Santa Cruz. "But in order to eat that much food, that means sea otters need to find all that food. " She studied the otter's senses, to solve the mystery of how they're such efficient food catchers. Vision isn't reliable, she says- it's pretty dark and muddy underwater, and crabs and other smaller animals tend to hide. Hearing is also tough for otters, in the noisy underwater environment. And sniffing's no good either. "When they're underwater they're holding their breath."
What's left is touch. So Strobel measured the sensitivity of the otters' paws and whiskers (须). She blindfolded an otter named Selka, then presented it with plastic plates carved with tiny grooves (沟槽). Selka's job was to select the plate with two-millimerter grooves, which she'd been trained to associate with tasty food, instead of plates with differently sized grooves.
Tums out, Selka could tell just a quarter millimeter difference in the grooves' with with her paws - above and below water - and hall a millimeter difference with her whiskers. "The fact that she was able to perform so well while moving extremely quickly I think is really interesting and suggests that sea otters have very quick decision-making abilities and very quick sensory processing abilities, which makes sense when you think about the type of lifestyle they lead and how quickly they need to find food."
For the record, humans can feel the difference too, but it takes us 30 times longer, which might make sense. After all, we live in environments where touch is less important in a hunt than sight and sound.
1.Why do sea otters eat much food?
A.To swim faster. B.To stay warm.
C.To keep their fur thick. D.To satisfy their good appetite.
2.What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?
A.An introduction to Selka. B.The use of plastic plates.
C.An experiment on Selka. D.The function of otters' touch.
3.What did Strobel find about sea otters' senses?
A.Hearing is useless. B.Touch is the most elective.
C.They have no vision. D.Their smell works very well.
4.What can we learn from the text?
A.Sea otters have enough food to eat.
B.Humans are more sensitive than sea otters.
C.Sea otters respond very quickly in hunting.
D.Sea otters' whiskers work better than paws.
A young female athlete in the Philippines recently won multiple gold medals for her school during a provincial sports despite not having proper running shoes.
Rhea Ballos, an 11-year old student of Salvacion Elementary School in Balasan, Iloilo, was only wearing bandages around her feet when she competed at the Iloilo Schools Sports Meet.
Facebook user Valenzuela posted images of the girl with her feet wrapped in brown plaster (石膏) bandages bearing the famous Nike logo. Ballos even wrote the word "NIKE" on the sides of her "shoes" to complete the "Nike running shoes" look. The bandages were tightly wrapped around her feet, creating a thin protective layer against the track.
While she was virtually (实质上) barefoot during the races, she was still able to defeat her opponents (对手) who all wore proper footwear intended for running. According to the post, Ballos bagged the top awards in the 400-meter dash, the 800-meter run, and the 1500-meter run in the inter-school sporting event held in Iloil, central Philippines.
When images of her "Nike" footwear were spread widely, Filipinos on social media showered her with praises for her dedication and character. Many noted that instead of wallowing in self-pity. she was even able to make light of the situation by drawing the Nike logo on her "running shoes."
Some of the commenters of Valenzuela's post expressed how the girl deserved to be recognized by Nike and that the brand should actually give her a new pair of real Nike shoes. It did not take long for Jeffery Cariaso, a famous coach, to take notice of Ballos' outstanding performance. He immediately made an effort to get in touch with the young track runner to help her.
1.In fact, Ballos "shoes" are .
A.an ad B.a bargain
C.a copy D.a substitute
2.Which of the following is closest in meaning to "wallowing in" in paragraph 5?
A.Being lost in. B.Being proud of.
C.Making use of. D.Giving ignorance to.
3.What made Cariaso offer to help Ballos?
A.Her super power. B.Her determination.
C.Her attitude to the event. D.Commenters' suggestions.
4.Which can be the best title for the passage?
A.A Lucky Runner B.A Pair of "Nike" Shoes
C.A Creative Brand D.An Eye-catching Game
How to spend a holiday without sending your savings into a nosedive? Take a look at these heavenly and affordable hideaways in Bahamas.
Pigeon Cay Beach Club, Cat Island
Pigeon Cay Beach Club is located on the largely undeveloped Cat Island, where it's possible to wander the very beautiful coastline for miles without spotting a soul - or a boat, dock (码头) or Jet Ski. TVs. AC, and Wi-Fi are all happily off-duty, leaving guests to explore the island by bike, canoe. or kayak (皮艇) (all free to use) or quietly drop by the honor-system beach bar.
Unique Village, Eleuthera
This 14-room hotel stands proud over the quiet Poponi Bench, which is rarely crowded despite being well-known for is pretty pink sands. Unique Village has a casual open-air restaurant and an outdoor pool, and its spacious (宽敞的). air-conditioned rooms have simple sand bright island decoration, free Wi-Fi, and outdoor balcony- all facing the ocean.
Stella Maris Resort Club, Long Island
If you're looking for casual, cheerful, and cheap, the beachfront Stella Maris Resort Club more than fits the bill. The large, family-owned complex on beautiful and remote Long Island is a bargain for is competitive rates, free activities, and accommodations that can suit larger parties (there are 27 hotel rooms, cottages. houses). One of the highlights of the resort (度假胜地) is its range of activities, many of which are free, including day rips, boating. nature walks, caving, kayaking. and wine parties.
St Francis Resort, Stocking Island
Stocking Island is just about as remote as you can get. The island is only accessible by boat, and has little human development; no cars, no roads, and about two dozen residents. The quiet and homey St Francis Resort fits right in with its surroundings, offering eight spacious rooms overlooking the ocean, two beaches, and free kayak. In-room breakfast, Wi-Fi, and transport from George Town are all free.
1.Which is the best choice if you want to have a quiet drink?
A.Pigeon Cay Beach Club. B.Unique Village.
C.Stclla Maris Resort Club. D.St Francis Resort.
2.What may attract you mot in Stella Maris Resort Club?
A.Unique sands. B.An outdoor pool.
C.Diverse activities. D.A quiet beach bar.
3.What do Unique Village and St Francis Resort have in common?
A.Limited development. B.Free Internet access.
C.An outdoor restaurant. D.Means of being reached.
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:在缺词处加一个符号(^),并在下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线( \)划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一横线，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。
Keeping hands clean is one of the most basic ways of prevent illness. Yesterday, I teach my three-year-old sister how to wash hands proper. Firstly, I asked her to wet her hand under running water and apply soap to them. Before, she rubbed hands well with soap for at least twenty seconds, I told to her to wash off all of the soap. Lastly, I gave him a clean towel to dry her hands. She very glad and showed me her clean hands. Looked at her smiling face, I felt such happy that I gave her a new storybook.
阅读下面材料，在空白处填人1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
I haven't seen Mr Jenkins since I left school, but I often think about him. I wasn't very good 1.most school subjects before I met Mr Jenkins. I suppose I was a bit lazy, especially in maths. The only thing I can remember from school maths is2.the angles of a triangle add up to 180 degrees! But when I was 15 and went into Mr Jenkins' class, I really became3.(interest) in a subject for the first time.
Before Mr Jenkins taught me, science had4.(simple) been a subject full of strange words to me. I had no idea what hydrogen was, and I didn't really want to know, either I found it all so5.(bore) and difficult. But Mr Jenkins made everything interesting. He used to explain things which seemed difficult with lots of practical6.(example) and in simple language. One day, he took us outside and we7.(build) a rocket! I remember that he let me pour some fuel into the rocket, and then another student lit8.match to set it off. It was great fun.
I know that I wasn’t a9.(will) student, but I wasn't slow to learn new things, The problems was that I lacked10.(confident) confident in myself. Mr. Jenkins made me feel that I had my own strengths.
Lehrner always wanted to design roller coasters. Even as a(n)_______, though, she knew that there had to be more to it than just hopping on board. “I started_______how I would prepare, ”she says. She looked to science and math and_______advanced classes in algebra and geometry in middle school and high school. Then she took even more_______math and a high-level physics course.
She also_______theme parks as often as she could and researched the_______of those coasters online. When it came time for_______, she went to the Colorado School of Mines in Golden,where she_______a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering.
Now Lehrner works with amusement parks to design and_______new coasters. These new coasters they design are________made of wood, except for a metal________on which the cars run. The basic design has been around for more than a century. Still, Lehrner notes each new one is different. “ A lot of the same________and concepts are used when I design new coasters. But they ________with the terrain（地势) and design. That tells us what the limits will be- -how tight the bends and how________the hills are. ”
Some parks________their coasters to be as scary as possible. That means big________and quick turns and lots of inversions. Lehrner is________at making twisted wood coasters. The coasters she ________make you feel as if you're going________than you really are, because the tracks are lower to the ground. “We also try to build rides that are fun for the whole________一 children as well as their parents, ”she said.
1.A.kid B.genius C.teacher D.inventor
2.A.going over B.thinking about C.writing down D.dreaming of
3.A.brought B.researched C.gave D.took
4.A.classical B.ancient C.advanced D.practical
5.A.created B.visited C.managed D.sponsored
6.A.makers B.parks C.themes D.players
7.A.vacation B.college C.graduation D.decision
8.A.missed B.bought C.got D.refused
9.A.discover B.learn C.purchase D.build
10.A.carefully B.completely C.largely D.possibly
11.A.track B.frame C.fence D.cover
12.A.metals B.plans C.colors D.components
13.A.agree B.change C.compare D.deal
14.A.beautiful B.dangerous C.high D.much
15.A.imagine B.consider C.hate D.want
16.A.steps B.seats C.drops D.carriages
17.A.expert B.amazed C.pleased D.excited
18.A.rides B.enjoys C.studies D.designs
19.A.faster B.slower C.farther D.crazier
20.A.place B.family C.world D.society
