All of them put their________ (手指) in their ears because of the big noise.
Though the short man looks________ (bad-looking), he is kind to help anyone in trouble.
How can I________ (翻译) such a long novel into French in only three days?
Where did humans come from? An Australian researcher believes that she’s found the answer: river valley in the African country of Botswana (博瓦纳).
Professor Vanessa Hayes from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney said she and her team have traced (追踪) modern humans back to small group of people who lived in this valley, according to the BBC.
“It’s an extremely large area, it would have been very lush (苍翠繁茂的), and it would have actually provided a suitable habitat for modern humans,” she said. She and her team studied mitochondrial (线粒体的) DNA (mtDNA) from people who live in south Africa, such as the Khoisan people. This type of DNA is only passed down from mother to child. This makes it easier to trace one’s ancestry (祖先), according to Business Insider. By tracing mtDNA back through different generations, the team concluded that every person alive today is related to a woman who lived in Botswana.
However, some experts doubt Hayes’ findings, saying that studies like hers are no longer important or necessary. “The idea that we’re looking for a single origin [of modern humans] is out of fashion,” said John Hawks, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, US, in Popular Science.
There are many other locations around the world where humans could have gotten their start. It is likely that mankind appeared in many places at the same time. “I increasingly think that there probably wasn’t a single population in which modern humans evolved (进化). If that is the case, there is no ‘homeland’,” said Ryan Raaum, who researches African population genetics (遗传学) at Lehman College, US.
1.According to Hayes, where did humans come from?
A.Australia. B.Botswana. C.South Africa. D.Latin America.
2.Hayes and her team studied mtDNA because ________.
A.it is the most common type of DNA humans share B.there is a new technology to test mtDNA
C.it is only passed down from mother to child D.both women and men can take mtDNA tests
3.According to Hawks, Hayes’s study is ________.
A.important B.wrong C.fascinating D.unnecessary
4.What is the story mainly about?
A.New findings about the origin of humans. B.New findings about mtDNA.
C.The evolution of humans. D.The habitats of ancient humans..
England is the biggest of the four countries in the United Kingdom. Together with Scotland and Wales, these three countries make up the island of Great Britain. When you include Northern Ireland (the country in the northeastern part of Ireland) we call it the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK). Over 50 million people live in England. That’s around 80 percent of the UK’s total population. It is a multicultural (多元文化的) country where more than 250 languages are spoken in the capital city of London. Outside of the big cities, England is a very green country and has many beautiful rural areas, such as the Lake District in the north and the New Forest, a big area of forest in the southern part of the country.
Music
English people love music. In summer, there are music festivals all over the country. Glastonbury is a five-day festival of music, dance, comedy, theatre and circus (马戏). About 175,000 people go to it each year. People in England listen to all types of music, especially pop and rock. England has produced many international groups and singers like the Beatles, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran and Adele.
Sport
The most popular sports in England are football, rugby (橄榄球) and cricket (板球). Most towns have at least one field where teams can play. English football teams like Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool are world-famous. Cricket is a traditional sport played with a bat (球拍) and ball. It began in England and is now played all over the world.
Food
England is a very multicultural country and this has a big influence on the food people eat. Indian, Chinese and Italian cuisines are popular besides traditional English food like fish and chips, roast beef or sausage and mashed potatoes. Many English people drink several cups of tea each day, usually with milk.
1.What is the total population of the UK?
A.About 40 million. B.Over 50 million.
C.About 63 million. D.Over 250 million.
2.Which of the following sports started in England?
A.Football. B.Rugby. C.Cricket. D.Hockey.
3.What do we know about the Glastonbury festival?
A.It is held in the summer every year. B.It lasts more than five days.
C.It is Europe’s best music festival. D.It featured Coldplay this summer.
4.What do we know from the story?
A.The Lake District is a tourist attraction in southern England.
B.English cuisine has had a big influence on foreign cuisine.
C.250 languages are spoken in England’s rural areas.
D.English people often add milk to their tea.
A habit is an action that we have acted so often that it becomes something we do almost without thinking. Some of them are not good habits. People spend many hours and dollars each year trying to give up ( 放 弃 ) these bad habits but often fail. Why? Change is hard work and there is no shortcut to get it. However, there is still some advice for you to follow.
First, look at why you do it. In other words, what’s the result of doing this thing? If your bad habit is shouting at people when you are unhappy or under pressure(压力), what do you get from it? It may make you feel a little better for the moment. Or maybe you have a bad habit of leaving your homework undone. The result could be that you get more time to spend on the Internet!
Next, take a look on the other hand. What are you losing because of your habit? Shouting at other people is a bad habit because it makes people around you feel bad and unhappy. Leaving your homework undone is a bad habit because you may be punished by your teacher. Having more Internet time means that you are losing the chance to learn the things you need to learn. When you think that way, you’ll find that it’s not wise to keep your bad habit! Now it is time to make a decision. What will you choose? I’m sure you will choose to do something that is more important.
1.From the first paragraph, we know that .
A.people always fail to break bad habits B.we must change all the habits we have
C.a habit is a terrible thing we can never change D.we can easily change bad habits
2.The underlined sentence “there is no shortcut to get it” means that .
A.something dangerous may happen B.there is a long way and a short way
C.it is not easy to give up bad habits D.we must cut bad habits in a short time
3.According to the passage, if you want to give up your habits, you have to .
A.talk to others B.know why you do and what you do
C.finish your homework first D.spend less time on the Internet
4.What does the underlined word “punished” mean in Chinese?
A.表扬 B.奖励 C.挨打 D.惩罚
