The idea for a science experiment can come from an unusual place. After watching a YouTube video of a dancing bird named Snowball, a scientist in California decided to study the ability of animals to keep the beat.
Bird lovers have long claimed that their pets have rhythm, and there are many videos of dancing birds online. Until now, scientists have suspected that humans are the only animals that can accurately keep rhythm with music.
Thanks to Snowball, that scientific opinion is changing. Snowball is a cockatoo, a kind of parrot, and his favorite song is "Everybody" by the Backstreet Boys. When he hears the song, he moves his feet and rocks his body with the tempo, or pace of the music, as though he is the only bird member of the boy band.
Aniruddh Patel is a neuroscientist, or a scientist who studies how the brain and the nervous system contribute to learning, seeing and other mental abilities. He works at the Neurosciences Institute in San Diego. After seeing Snowball's dance online, Patel visited the cockatoo at the bird rescue facility he's called home for two years. The scientist played "Everybody" for Snowball and also played versions of the song that were sped up or slowed down. Sometimes, Snowball danced too fast or too slowly. Often, when there was a change in tempo, Snowball adjusted his dancing to match the rhythm. In other experiments, scientists have observed the same abilities in preschool children.
Patel isn't the only scientist who has studied Snowball's moves. Adena Schachner, who studies psychology at Harvard University, also wanted to know more about the dancing bird. Schachner's team played different musical pieces for Snowball and a parrot named Alex, as well as eight human volunteers. The scientists observed that the birds and the humans kept time to the music with about the same accuracy.
Schachner and her team watched thousands of YouTube videos of different animals moving to music. Not all the animals could dance, however. From watching the videos, the scientists observed that only animals that imitate sounds, including 14 parrot species and Asian elephants, accurately moved in time to music.
63. The underlined words “that scientific opinion” in the third paragraph refers to the theory that ______.
A.birds like Snowball have the ability to keep the beat
B.humans are the only animals that can accurately keep rhythm with music
C.the brain and the nervous system contribute to some mental abilities
D.bird pets can have their special rhythm under human’s instruction
64. From the fourth paragraph we may know that ______.
A.Patel is the only scientist who has studied Snowball’s moves.
B.Snowball is able to adjust his dancing to match the rhythm.
C.Snowball cannot dance to the versions of the song Everybody.
D.it is the brain and the nervous system that control the mental abilities.
65. The idea of studying animals’ ability to keep the beat comes from ______.
A.bird lovers’ discovery
B.humans musical sense
C.the same abilities in children
D.videos of dancing birds
66. According to the scientists, Snowball’s ability to dance to music is probably related to the fact that ______.
A.it is the only bird member of the Backstreet Boys band
B.it has the ability to imitate sounds
C.it is a kind of dancing parrot
D.it has the same abilities as preschool children
Despite all the reports of Internet security attacks over the years, including the recent ones on Google’s e-mail service, many people have reacted to the break-ins with a shrug（耸肩）.
Mr. Shulman and his company examined a list of 32 million passwords that an unknown hacker stole last month from RockYou, a company that makes software for users of social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. The list was briefly posted on the Web, and hackers and security researchers downloaded it.
The list provided an unusually detailed window into computer users’ password habits. Typically, only government agencies like the F.B.I. or the National Security Agency have had access to such a large password list.
Some Web sites try to keep back the attackers by freezing an account for a certain period of time if too many incorrect passwords are typed. But experts say that the hackers simply learn to trick the system, by making guesses at an acceptable rate, for instance.
To improve security, some Web sites are forcing users to mix letters, numbers and even symbols in their passwords. Others, like Twitter, prevent people from picking common passwords.
Still, researchers say, social networking and entertainment Web sites often try to make life simpler for their users and are reluctant to put too many controls in place.
Even commercial sites like eBay must weigh the consequences of freezing accounts, since a hacker could, say, try to win an auction(拍卖) by freezing the accounts of other potential buyers.
But owing to the reality of our overcrowded brains, the experts suggest that everyone choose at least two different passwords — a complex one for Web sites where security is vital, such as banks and e-mail, and a simpler one for less risky places, such as social networking and entertainment sites.
Mr. Moss relies on passwords at least 12 characters long, figuring that those make him a more difficult target than the millions of people who choose five- and six-character passwords.
“It’s like the joke where the hikers run into a bear in the forest, and the hiker that survives is the one who outruns his companions,” Mr. Moss said. “You just want to run that bit faster.
59. The underlined sentence “Many people have reacted to the break-ins with a shrug” shows that many people ______.
don’t take seriously the hacker’s break-ins
are worried and frightened at the hacker’s break-ins
don’t know what to do with the hacker’s attacks
are eager to get helps from the experts
60. According to the passage, which of the following web sites needs a more complex password?
A social web site.
An entertainment web site.
A commercial web site.
A government web site.
61. The Internet users are advised to______ in order to keep back the hackers.
mix letters, numbers and symbols as well
choose passwords with at least 12 characters
choose passwords with 5 or 6 characters
choose at least two different passwords
62. Which would be the best title for the passage?
Password, Simple or Complex?
Popular Passwords, High Risk!
Clever Hackers, Stupid Netizens.
Hacker, the Enemy of Internet Security.
The young woman seated next to us at the sushi(寿司) bar gave off an alien air; her looks and style, we thought, made it likely that she was not American born.
But then she spoke in perfect American English, with the typical characteristic of many young Californians.
As it turns out, however, she wasn’t from these parts after all; she was born in Iran and spoke only Farsi(波斯语) until her arrival here two years ago. What classes, we wondered, had she attended to learn the language so well?
“I didn’t,” she said. “I used Rosetta Stone.”
Those yellow boxes sold at shopping-mall and airport newspaper stands may be the most recognizable example of PC-based language learning, but it certainly isn’t the only one.
With the growth of broadband connectivity and social networks, companies have introduced a wide range of Internet-based language learning products, both free and fee-based, that allow students to interact in real time with instructors in other countries, gain access to their lesson plans wherever they are in the world, and communicate with pen pals who are also trying to remember if bambino means baby.
Learning a language sometimes seems as difficult as dieting. The solution is to figure out how to stay interested after the curiosity wears off.
To fight against boredom, online language programs have introduced crossword puzzles, interactive(交互的) videos and other games to reward users for making progress.
Online courses are either fee-based, free or a combination. Starter kits(入门套件) of fee-based programs may cost just a few hundred dollars, but the cost to reach higher levels of comprehension and speaking can easily be $1,000.
While that may sound expensive, language company managers say it isn’t; college courses often cost many thousands of dollars to reach the same level.
So, cost aside, how do you choose which program to use? The answer is that one size doesn’t fit all.
55. Which of the following is the fact about “Rosetta Stone”?
A. Rosetta Stone is only a special stone with the name Rosetta on
B. Rosetta Stone is a free PC-based language learning product.
C. Rosetta Stone is a reference book for English learners to use.
D. Rosetta Stone is a language-learning software
56. The case of the young woman in the passage is meant to tell the reader that ______.
A. the woman is one of many successful language learners
B. the woman likes Rosetta Stone very much
C. many people are benefiting from the Internet language learning products
D. Rosetta Stone is one of the successful PC-based language instructors
57. We can learn from the passage that ______.
A. they offer the English learners all kinds of free courses
B. learners can communicate with teachers at any time
C. students can compare notes with their e-pals about language study
D. advanced online courses usually cost more than the college ones of the same level
58. What information will be most probably provided following the last paragraph?
A. An introduction of different online language learning products.
B. An introduction of different language learning methods.
C. The strengths and weaknesses of Internet language learning products.
D. A comparison between online and college language learning.
第三部分：阅读理解(共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分)
阅读下列短文，从每篇短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
“Tell me, Wally,” my amazed friend asked the driver, “have you always served customers like this?”
Wally smiled into the back-view mirror.
“No, not always. In fact, it’s only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the taxi drivers do. Then I heard the personal growth of Wayne Dyer, on the radio one day. He had just written a book called You’ll See It When You Believe It. Dyer said that if you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you’ll rarely disappoint yourself. He said, ‘Stop complaining! Distinguish yourself from your competition. Don’t be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles fly high above the crowd.’”
“That hit me right between the eyes. Dyer was really talking about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other taxis and their drivers. The taxis were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.”
“I take it that has paid off for you,” I said.
“It sure has,” Wally replied. “My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year I’ll probably quadruple(增四倍) it. You were lucky to get me today. I don’t sit at taxi-stands anymore. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my answering machine. If I can’t pick them up myself, I get a trustworthy friend to do it and I take a piece of the action.”
Wally was phenomenal. He was running a first-class service out of a Yellow Taxi.
I’ve probably told that story to more than fifty taxi drivers over the years, and only two took the idea and ran with it. Whenever I go to their cities, I give them a call. The rest of the drivers quacked like ducks and told me all the reasons they couldn’t do any of what I was suggesting.
Wally, the Taxi Driver, made a different choice.
51. The underlined word “phenomenal” means ______.
A．easy-going B．warm-hearted C．flexible D．remarkable
52. Wally doesn’t park his taxi at taxi-stands just because _______.
A．his income doubles.
B．his taxi is usually fully booked
C．he has a company of his own.
D．he has a look of a disgusting eagle
53. Wally’s income doubled when he improved his service about ______.
A．one year ago B．two years ago
C．five years ago D．seven years ago
54. After reading the passage we may draw a safe conclusion that ______.
A．kindness must be rewarded
B．it’s easy to say but hard to do
C．good service pays off in the end
D．the early bird catches the worm
第二节：完形填空(共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分)
阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
I was told just now in the hospital that I was having a Bell's palsy attack, a condition in which the face muscles tighten because of stress. During the long car ride home, all I could think about was my coming interview. But now I could not even 31 myself in the mirror and my lips was unable to open normally, surely all the other applicants would have the 32 , I concluded.
However, I wouldn’t let my own self-consciousness 33 me. Not now, not when I had 34 so hard for so long to be given this opportunity. This was the kind of position I'd dreamed of for all these years. “Mom, 35 me off on Jacob Street. I'm going to the 36 .”
“Honey, I don't think you should. You look... 37 ,” she said, ever so gently.
I knew she was 38 . But if I didn't, I'd always 39 if I could have gotten my dream job.
"No, Mom, take me there.”
40 , she took me where I wanted to go.
"Hello,” a gray-haired man sitting behind the large desk 41 me. “Miss Jenkins?”
“Yes. Please excuse me. I'm having a Bell's palsy attack. My doctor explained to me that it would last a few days. I came right from the 42 .”
“You're very 43 to come when you're in such a state,” he 44 , after a pause.
He spent a few minutes looking through my 45 . “Is everything on here 46 ?” he asked.
“Yes, but I 47 to mention I type seventy-five words per minute.”
“Well, you have an impressive background with related experience, you are 48 qualified. When are you 49 ?” he asked.
I took a deep breath and asked, “You're hiring me?”
“Not only have you got the skills I'm looking for, you also have the 50 .” He gave me a big smile.
31. A．forgive B．recognize C．believe D．control
32. A．chance B．advantage C．courage D．sympathy
33. A．pardon B．stop C．help D．transform
34. A．driven B．turned C．prepared D．worked
35. A．take B．pull C．drop D．send
36. A．supermarket B．interview C．doctor D．office
37. A．weak B．annoying C．angry D．strange
38. A．right B．kind C．wrong D．sensitive
39. A．regret B．believe C．wonder D．quit
40. A．Hopefully B．Unwillingly C．Fortunately D．Unexpectedly
41. A．doubted B．greeted C．examined D．discouraged
42. A．hospital B．home C．office D．work
43. A．determined B．crazy C．disrespectful D．funny
44. A．stressed B．interrupted C．commented D．complained
45. A．face B．health C．application D．situation
46. A．correct B．normal C．incredible D．contradictory
47. A．pretended B．demanded C．focused D．failed
48. A．narrowly B．possibly C．impossibly D．certainly
49. A．accessible B．convenient C．energetic D．available
50. A．qualification B．appearance C．character D．disadvantage
After problems are posed, we should sort them out, ______ the advantages and disadvantages and decide what to do.
|
A．weigh |
B．think |
C．range |
D．examine |
