Fish Ears Tell Fish Tales
Fish have ears. Really. They’re quite small and have no opening to the outside world carrying sound through the body. For the past seven years, Simon Thorrold, a university professor, has been examining fish ears, small round ear bones called otoliths (耳石).
As fish grow, so do their otoliths. Each day, their otoliths gain a ring of calcium carbonate (碳酸钙). By looking through a microscope and counting these rings, Thorrold can determine the exact age of a young fish. As a fish gets older, its otoliths no longer get daily rings. Instead, they get yearly rings, which can also be counted, giving information about the fish’s age, just like the growth rings of a tree.
Ring counting is nothing new to fish scientists. But Thorrold has turned to a new direction. They’re examining the chemical elements (元素) of each otolith ring.
The daily ring gives us the time, but chemistry tells us about the environment in which the fish swam on any given day. These elements tell us about the chemistry of the water that the fish was in. It also says something about water temperature, which determines how much of these elements will gather within each otolith ring.
Thorrold can tell, for example, if a fish spent time in the open ocean before entering the less salty water of coastal areas. He can basically tell where fish are spending their time at any given stage of history.
In the case of the Atlantic croaker, a popular saltwater food fish, Thorrold and his assistant have successfully followed the travelling of young fish from mid-ocean to the coast, a journey of many hundreds of miles.
This is important to managers in the fish industry, who know nearly nothing about the whereabouts of the young fish for most food fish in the ocean. Eager to learn about his technology, fish scientists are now lending Thorrold their ears.
1.What can we learn about fish ears from the text?
A. They are small soft rings.
B. They are not seen from the outside.
C. They are openings only on food fish.
D. They are not used to receive sound.
2.Why does the writer compare the fish to trees?
A. Trees gain a growth ring each day.
B. Trees also have otoliths.
C. Their growth rings are very small.
D. They both have growth rings.
3.Why is it important to study the chemistry of otolith rings?
A. The elements of the otoliths can tell the history of the sea.
B. Chemical contents of otoliths can tell how fast fish can swim.
C. We can know more about fish and their living environment.
D. Scientists can know exactly how old a fish is.
4.How would you understand “fish scientists are now lending their ears”?
A. They are very interested in Thorrold’s research findings.
B. They want to know where they can find fish.
C. They lend their fish for chemical studies.
D. They wonder if Thorrold can find growth rings from their ears.
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McGill Comedy Club Important meeting today. Discussions on putting on Blazing Saddles. Union room 302, 3－4 pm. New members (both actors and non-actors, living and dead) are welcome. |
History Students’ Association Prof. Michael Cross of Dalhousie University will be speaking on “Unskilled Labors on Rivers and Canals in Upper Canada, 1820－1850: The Beginnings of Class Struggle,” at 10 am in Leacock 230. |
Design Mirror Sale All types and sizes of design mirrors priced to please. Sale today in Union room 108. |
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McGill Teaching Assistants’ Association A general meeting, for all the TAs, will be held at 4 p.m. in Leacock 116. |
Women’s Union Important. General Meeting at 6 pm, Union room 423. Speaker on “Importance of deciding basic goals of the Women’s Union.” Everyone, old, new and those interested, please attend. |
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Film Society Last meeting of the term for all members. All managers are required to be present. 6:00 sharp, Union room 434. |
Canadian University Students Overseas CUSO presents “Guess Who’s Coming to Breakfast” at 7 pm, Newman Centre, 3484 Peel. Find out about CUSO here and overseas. Everyone welcome. |
1.Where can you probably find this text?
A. In a school magazine B. In a national paper.
C. In a guide book. D. In a university daily newspaper.
2.If you are interested in arts, where would you go for a visit?
A. Leacock 116. B. Union room 423.
C. Union room 108. D. Newman Centre, 3484 Peel.
3. Which of the following is the name of a play?
A. Blazing Saddles.
B. Guess Who’s Coming to Breakfast.
C. Importance of deciding basic goals of the Women’s Union.
If you ask people to name one person who had the greatest effect on the English language, you will get answers like “Shakespeare,” “Samuel Johnson,” and “Webster,” but none of these men had any effect at all compared to a man who didn’t even speak English—William the Conqueror.
Before 1066, in the land we now call Great Britain lived peoples belonging to two major language groups. In the west-central region lived the Welsh, who spoke a Celtic language, and in the north lived the Scots, whose language, though not the same as Welsh, was also Celtic. In the rest of the country lived the Saxons, actually a mixture of Anglos, Saxons, and other Germanic and Nordic peoples, who spoke what we now call Anglo-Saxon (or Old English), a Germanic language. If this state of affairs had lasted, English today would be close to German.
But this state of affairs did not last. In 1066 the Normans led by William defeated the Saxons and began their rule over England. For about a century, French became the official language of England while Old English became the language of peasants. As a result, English words of politics and the law come from French rather than German. In some cases, modern English even shows a distinction (区别) between upper-class French and lower-class Anglo-Saxon in its words. We even have different words for some foods, meat in particular, depending on whether it is still out in the fields or at home ready to be cooked, which shows the fact that the Saxon peasants were doing the farming, while the upper-class Normans were doing most of the eating.
When Americans visit Europe for the first time, they usually find Germany more “foreign” than France because the German they see on signs and advertisements seems much more different from English than French does. Few realize that the English language is actually Germanic in its beginning and that the French influences are all the result of one man’s ambition.
1. The two major languages spoken in what is now called Great Britain before 1066 were
________.
A. Welsh and Scottish B. Nordic and Germanic
C. Celtic and Old English D. Anglo-Saxon and Germanic
2. Which of the following groups of words are, by inference, rooted in French?
A. president, lawyer, beef B. president, bread, water
C. bread, field, sheep D. folk, field, cow
3.Why does France appear less foreign than Germany to Americans on their first visit to
Europe?
A. Most advertisements in France appear in English.
B. They know little of the history of the English language.
C. Many French words are similar to English ones.
D. They know French better than German.
4.What is the subject discussed in the text?
A. The history of Great Britain.
B. The similarity between English and French.
C. The rule of England by William the Conqueror.
D. The French influences on the English language.
The easy way out isn’t always easiest. I learned that lesson when I decided to treat Doug, my husband of one month, to a special meal. I glanced through my cookbook and chose a menu which included homemade bread. Knowing the bread would take time, I started on it as soon as Doug left for work. As I was not experienced in cooking, I thought if a dozen was good, two dozen would be better, so I doubled everything. As Doug loved oranges, I also opened a can of orange and poured it all into the bowl. Soon there was a sticky dough (面团) covered with ugly yellowish marks. Realizing I had been defeated, I put the dough in the rubbish bin outside so I wouldn't have to face Doug laughing at my work, I went on preparing the rest of the meal, and, when Doug got home, we sat down to Cornish chicken with rice. He tried to enjoy the meal but seemed disturbed. Twice he got up and went outside, saying he thought he heard a noise. The third time he left, I went to the windows to see what he was doing. Looking out, I saw Doug standing about three feet from the rubbish bin, holding the lid up with a stick and looking into the container. When I came out of the house, he dropped the stick and explained that there was something alive in our rubbish bin. Picking up the stick again, he held the lid up enough for me to see. I felt cold. But I stepped closer and looked harder. Without doubt it was my work. The hot sun had caused the dough to double in size and the fermenting yeast (酵母) made the surface shake and sigh as though it were breathing. I had to admit what the ‘living thing’ was and why it was there. I don’t know who was more embarrassed by the whole thing, Doug or me.
1.The writer’s purpose in writing this story is ________.
A. to tell an interesting experience
B. to show the easiest way out of a difficulty
C. to describe the trouble facing a newly married woman
D. to explain the difficulty of learning to cook from books
2.Why did the woman’s attempt at making the bread turn out to be unsuccessful?
A. The canned orange had gone bad.
B. She didn’t use the right kind of flour.
C. The cookbook was hard to understand.
D. She did not follow the directions closely.
3.Why did the woman put the dough in the rubbish bin?
A. She didn’t see the use of keeping it
B. She meant to joke with her husband.
C. She didn’t want her husband to see it.
D. She hoped it would soon dry in the sun.
4.What made the dough in the rubbish bin look frightening?
A. The rising and falling movement.
B. The strange-looking marks.
C. Its shape.
D. Its size.
5.When Doug went out the third time, the woman looked out of the window because she was ________.
A. surprised at his being interested in the bin
B. afraid that he would discover her secret
C. unhappy that he didn't enjoy the meal
D. curious to know what disturbed him
The Channel Islands are a group of British-owned islands lying in the English Channel, 10 to 30 miles off the French coast, and 70 to 90 miles from the English coast. There are ten islands with a total land area of 75 square miles and a total population of 123,000. The three largest islands, Jersey, Guernsey, and Alderney, have long been known for the fine breeds (品种) of cattle that are raised on them and named after them.
In earliest known history the islands were considered part of Normandy, which was part of France, but the ruler of Normandy became king of England in 1066, and from then on the islands were looked upon as British land. English control was unbroken until World War II, when the Germans held the islands for five years.
Although people on the islands speak both languages and they are considered English, their customs are more French than English.
1.Which of the following maps gives the right position of the Channel Islands?
Br = Britain Fr = France Ch = Channel Islands
2.Jersey, Guernsey, and Alderney breeds of cattle are __________.
A. considered best in England
B. named after their birthplaces
C. brought to the islands by the Germans
D. raised on well-known farms by the French
3. The Channel Islands have been continuously under British rule since__________.
A. earliest known history B. 1066
C. 1930s D. the end of World War II
4.Why do people on the Channel Islands follow French way of living?
A. Their islands used to be part of France.
B. Their islands are often visited by the French.
C. They came from France.
D. They speak French.
The Best Holiday
I was unbelievably proud of my nine-year-old daughter. Emily 41 to buy a mountain bike. She’d been saving her pocket money all year, 42 doing small jobs to earn extra money.
By Thanksgiving, she had collected only $49. I said, “You 43 have your pick from my bicycle 44 .” “Thanks, Daddy. But your bikes are so old.” She was right. All my girls’ bikes were 1950’s models, not the kind a kid today would 45 choose.
As Christmas 46 near, Emily and I went bike shopping. As we left one store, she __47 a Salvation Army volunteer standing next to a big pot. “Can we give something, Daddy?” she asked. “Sorry, I’m out of 48 .”
Throughout December, Emily continued to 49 hard. Then one day, she made a __50 announcement. “You know all the money I’ve been saving?” she said hesitantly. “I’m going to give it to the poor people.” So one cold morning before Christmas, Emily handed her total savings of $ 58 to a volunteer who was really very 51 .
52 by Emily’s selflessness, I decided to contribute 53 of my old bicycles to a car dealer who was collecting used bikes for poor children. 54 I selected a shiny model from my collection, however, it seemed as if a second bike took on a glow (发光). Should I contribute two? No, one would be enough. But I couldn’t 55 the feeling that I should give a second bike. When I later 56 the bikes, the car dealer said, “You’re making two kids very __57 , sir. Here are your tickets. For each bicycle contributed, we’re 58 away one chance to win a girls’ mountain bike.”
Why wasn’t I surprised when that second ticket proved to be the 59 ? I like to think it was God’s way of 60 a little girl for a sacrifice beyond her years－while giving her dad a lesson in the process.
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1. A. promised |
B. amazed |
C. determined |
D. organized |
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2. A. as well as |
B. in addition |
C. because of |
D. except for |
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3. A. need |
B. should |
C. must |
D. can |
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4.A. collection
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B. contribution |
C. shop |
D. club |
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5.A. seldom |
B. likely |
C. slightly |
D. merely |
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6.A. drew |
B. became |
C. went |
D. pulled |
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7.A. observed |
B. sensed |
C. watched |
D. noticed |
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8.A. charge |
B. change |
C. control |
D. order |
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9.A. study |
B. try |
C. listen |
D. work |
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10.A. disappointing disappointing |
B. surprising |
C. formal |
D. public |
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11.A. agreeable |
B. hopeful |
C. thankful |
D. pitiful |
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12.A. Moved |
B. Shocked |
C. Persuaded |
D. Demanded |
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13.A. one |
B. some |
C. two |
D. any |
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14.A. While |
B. When |
C. Because |
D. Though |
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15.A. express |
B. describe |
C. explain |
D. shake |
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16.A. returned |
B. delivered |
C. chose |
D. shared |
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17.A. sweet |
B. healthy |
C. happy |
D. fair |
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18.A. putting |
B. giving |
C. storing |
D. signing |
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19.A. present |
B. harvest |
C. winner |
D. chance |
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20.A. greeting |
B. praising |
C. sheltering |
D. rewarding |
