Researchers recently discovered some unusual behavior in chimps living in the forests of West Africa. An adult male in the wild would pick up a rock, throw it at a tree while yelling and then run away. Although researchers aren't certain why, they make a guess: The chimps seem to prefer trees that create longer-lasting sounds when struck.
A team of researchers from Germany first discovered this behavior three years ago. Because the actions appeared to be localized, the researchers suggested the purpose was a local tradition and was likely part of some sort of ritual(仪式), Phys. org reports. But they weren't sure what purpose the ritual served.
So the group desired to carry out more experiments to determine why the chimps were so interested in throwing rocks at trees. This time around, they went to the same areas but set up microphones to capture(捕捉) the sounds of the stones as they were thrown.
Researchers analyzed all the recordings and found that the chimps tended to prefer throwing rocks at trees that made lower, longer-lasting sounds. Often these were trees that had exposed roots.
In their findings, published in Biology Letters, the researchers write that “low-frequency sounds travel further in the environment and are better suited for long-distance communication”.
If chimps tried to communicate. it would be more effective for them to strike the trees or choose the ones that made the loudest noises when struck. Because the researchers saw chimps stick to the same trees and never choose new ones, the location could be a factor. Researcher Ammie Kalan tells Science that maybe the locations of the trees have something to do with nearby resources like food and water, and that the sound is a signal to others where to find them.
1.How did the researchers feel about the chimps behavior from the first two paragraphs?
A.Doubtful B.Excited C.Disappointed D.Frightened.
2.What did the researchers do during their experiments?
A.They tried to make long-lasting sounds.
B.They recorded the sounds from the stricken（受...侵袭的） trees.
C.They designed various sounds for the chimps.
D.They collected different sounds of the chimps.
3.What does Ammie Kalan think of the chimps' behavior?
A.It is a good way of seeking food. B.It is a means of communication.
C.It is a natural response to food. D.It is a symbol of their growth.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A.How the chimps produce sounds.
B.The chimps’ habit of throwing rocks.
C.Why the chimps like to throw rocks at trees.
D.Chimps often throw rocks at different kinds of trees.
In the 19th century, one of America's greatest writers, Walt Whitman, helped people learn to value poetry. Whitman created a new kind of poetry.
Walt Whitman was born in 1819 in New York City. During his long life, he watched America grow from a young nation to the strongest industrial power in the world. As a young man, Whitman worked as a school teacher, a printer and a newspaper reporter. He was 36 years old when he published his first book of poetry in 1855. He called it Leaves of Grass. It has only 12 poems. The poems are written in free verse. The lines do not follow any set form. Some lines are short. Some are long. The words at the end of each line do not have a similar sound. They do not rhyme.
One of America's greatest thinkers and writers immediately recognized the importance of Leaves of Grass. Ralph Waldo Emerson praised Whitman’ s works. But most other poets and writers said nothing and even denounced it. Most readers also rejected Whitman’ s poems. The new form of his poetry surprised many people. Even his own brother told Whitman that he should stop writing poetry. But Whitman had many things to say. And he continued to say them. Readers began to understand that America had a great new poetic voice.
Walt Whitman’ s poems praise the United States and its democracy. The poet expressed his love for America and its people in many ways. Experts today praise Leaves of Grass as a major literary work. In 1873, Walt Whitman suffered a stroke. He spent the last years of his life in Camden, New Jersey. Whitman was poor and weak during the last years of his life. He died in 1892. Some critics say Walt Whitman was a spokesman for democracy. Others say he was not a spokesman for anything. Instead, they simply call him a great poet.
1.What can we know about Whitman?
A.His poems have the same rhyme.
B.He is the first great poet in the USA.
C.He helped people to create new poems.
D.His poems show his love for his country.
2.Why was Leaves of Grass refused at first?
A.The poems are quite short. B.The form of poetry is special.
C.Whitman wasn’ t famous then. D.There are only 12 poems in it.
3.What does the underlined word “denounced” in paragraph 3 most probably mean?
A.Accused B.Downloaded C.Published D.Translated.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.Walt Whitman---a great soldier
B.Walt Whitman---an unfortunate poet
C.Walt Whitman and Leaves of Grass
D.The first and greatest poet in America
A woman from America has managed to train her beloved dog Stella how to talk. Sadly, the dog can't speak, but it can communicate basic commands by pressing buttons of a soundboard( 发生板). Stella's owner Christina started using the technology when the dog was just eight weeks old. Now Stella is 18 months old and can say 29 words.
“The way she uses words to communicate and the words she's combining are really similar to a 2-year-old child. Unsurprisingly, the dog's favorite word is"walk' fallowed closely by ‘beach’”, Christina said.
Stella's progress was updated online. “Today when she heard some noises outside and wanted to investigate, I told her we were staying inside,” said Christina. “Stella responded by saying, ‘Look’ 9 times in a row, and then ‘Come outside’. She was clearly in a more frantic （发狂似的）state, and her language use matched that. And I'm impressed that Stella is communicating with language during her more heightened state, not just when she’s calm and in a quiet space. This shows that words are becoming more automatic for her to use.
Stella surprised Christina when Stella was standing by the door and whimpering（呜咽）one day. After a bit of pacing back and forth，the dog went over to the soundboard and said “Want”, “Jake” and “Come”, saying that she wanted Christina’ s husband Jake to come home. In about 15 minutes, Jake walked through the door and Stella said the word “Happy”. Christina hopes to expand Stella’ s vocabulary in the future to see just how many phrases the dog can master.
1.What do we know about the soundboard?
A.It includes 29 buttons. B.It is Stella’ s favorite toy.
C.It is invented by Christina. D.it is used to help Stella talk.
2.Which of the following is probably Stella’ s favorite activity?
A.Taking a walk. B.Going to the beach.
C.Talking with kids. D.Looking after babies.
3.What can we learn from Paragraph 3?
A.Stella disliked staying at home.
B.Stella and Christina had a quarrel
C.Stella' s language skills were improved.
D.Stella made noises to draw people’s attention.
4.Why was Stella in a bad mood according to the last paragraph?
A.Her soundboard was broken. B.She was punished by Christina.
C.Her owner didn’t play with her. D.She failed to see Jake that day.
There are many good places for a family to have fun together. Here are some of them.
Robert Skatepark
Phone: (904)209-0385
With 28.000 square feet of ground, the Robert Skatepark has plenty of room for skateboarders of all ages and abilities. We have pipes, rails, ledges, banks and a 9-and-half-foot pool to challenge even the most experienced skaters. Rules are posted. There are also picnic tables and benches.
MoGirts Creek Park
Phone:(904)630-4100
Located in Jacksonville's Westside, it offers after-school and summer camp activities for youths aged 6 through 12. The facility (设施) also has a computer lab and community space. The park also offers basketball courts, playground, picnic areas, trails, three youth baseball fields and two soccer fields. A highlight of the park is the "Field of Dreams"-Miracle League field, where children with special needs are able to experience playing in their own baseball league.
South Beach Park
Phone: (904)247-6236
This is a really fun park with lots of playground equipment for children of all ages. The park has gone through a recent renovation(修复) and now has bathrooms, jogging trails, basketball courts, tennis courts and picnic shelters. Try our Automatic Player Matching Service. At $ 6. 99 per month, and we will match you with other tennis partners automatically.
Metropolitan Park
Phone:(904)630-0837
It is located along the beautiful St. Johns River in Downtown Jacksonville. Since its opening in 1984, this once empty 27-acre facility offers something for everyone. Whether you prefer relaxing in the cool river breezes or listening to big-name entertainment at one of the many outdoor concerts, you'll have fun here. Metropolitan Park is also a perfect place for corporate events and family picnics.
1.Which number should a skateboarder dial?
A.(904)209-0385 B.(904)630-4100
C.(904)247-6236 D.(904)630-0837
2.Which park offers the service of matching players with partners?
A.Robert Skatepark. B.McGirts Creek Park.
C.South Beach Park D.Metropolitan Park.
3.What do the four parks have in common?
A.They are open to children of all ages
B.They all have places for picnics.
C.They all have experienced coach for children
D.They all have facility for children with special needs
阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。续写的词数应为150左右。
David Aguilar is a boy born without his right arm. Because of that, Aguilar has always stood out from the persons at the same age. As a child, he was very nervous to be in front of other guys, because he thought that he was different. While growing up, Aguilar had to learn how to do everything with just one hand. Although he was able to do almost everything people with two hands can do, Aguilar explained that he still thought about getting a prosthetic hand (假肢) throughout his childhood just so that he could look a little bit more normal and fit in with everyone else.
When Aguilar told his parents that those arms were cool because they were mechanical (机械的) and could make you look like a robot, his parents began thinking about buying a prosthetic arm for Aguilar. However, when Aguilar' s parents started looking into getting their son a prosthetic hand, they discovered how expensive it was. And they couldn't afford to buy one for their son.
Yet when Aguilar was playing with his Lego (乐高) at the age of nine years old, he started experimenting with building his own prosthetic arm. He didn't know it at the time, but his favorite toy was about to change the way he viewed himself as well as change the course of his life. At first, he just wanted to create something that could help him and be part of him. As he linked the blocks together around his arm, he just started making this prosthetic from Lego. When Aguilar looked at himself in the mirror for the first time with his Lego prosthetic, he was amazed by what he saw.
However, the arm wasn't the most strong and would often bend and break if he tried to do any heavy lifting with it. So almost ten years later, Aguilar set out to build himself a new prosthetic arm and he hoped to help more people who didn't have enough money to buy prosthetic hands. One day, one of his dad's friends gave him a Lego plane as a gift, but all he saw was an arm.
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假定你是李华，最近你校将举办以“榜样的力量”为主题的英语演讲比赛。请根据提示写一篇演讲稿。内容包括：
1. 活动的目的；
2. 榜样的故事；
3. 个人看法。
注意：1. 词数80左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯：
3. 开头和结尾已给出，不计人总词数。
Good morning. everyone!
I'm Li Hua from Class 1，Senior 3. It's my great honor to stand here to deliver my speech today.
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That's all Thanks for your listening.
