The report urged that all the children _______ to swim.
A. are taught B. be taught C. to be taught D. being taught
The church, which ____ back to the 17th century, is undergoing a complete restoration.
A. dates B. comes C. leaves D. appoints
His remarks left me _____ about his real purpose.
Do you know how it is when you see someone yawn and you start yawning too? Or how hard it is to be among people laughing and not laugh yourself? Well, apparently it's because we have mirror neurons (神经元）in our brains.
Put simply, the existence of mirror neurons suggests that every time we see someone else do something, our brains imitate (模仿)it，whether or not we actually perform the same action. This explains a great deal about how we learn to smile, talk, walk, dance or play sports. But the idea goes further： mirror neurons not only appear to explain physical actions y they also tell us that there is a biological basis for the way we understand other people.
Mirror neurons can undoubtedly be found all over our brains, but especially in the areas which relate to our ability to use languages, and to understand how other people feel. Researchers have found that mirror neurons relate strongly to language. A group of researchers discovered that if they gave people sentences to listen to (for example: “The hand took hold of the ball”), the same mirror neurons were triggered as when the action was actually performed (in this example, actually taking hold of a ball).
Any problems with mirror neurons may well result in problems with behavior. Much research suggests that people with social and behavioral problems have mirror neurons which are not fully functioning. However, it is not yet known exactly how these discoveries might help find treatments for social disorders.
Research into mirror neurons seems to provide us with ever more information concerning how humans behave and interact(互动）.Indeed, it may turn out to be the equivalent (相等物）for neuroscience of what Einstein's theory of relativity was for physics. And the next time you feel the urge to cough in the cinema when someone else does---well, perhaps you'll understand why.
1.Mirror neurons can explain .
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A． why we cry when we are hurt |
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B．why we cough when we suffer from a cold |
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C． why we smile when we see someone else smile |
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D． why we yawn when we see someone else stay up late |
2.The underlined word "triggered" in the third paragraph probably means “ ’’
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A．set off |
B．cut off |
C．built up |
D．broken up |
3.We can learn from the passage that mirror neurons ________.
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A． relate to human behavior and interaction |
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B．control human physical actions and feelings |
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C． result in bad behavior and social disorders |
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D． determine our knowledge and language abilities |
4.What is the passage mainly about?
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A． Ways to find mirror neurons. |
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B．Problems of mirror neurons. |
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C．Existence of mirror neurons. |
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D． Functions of mirror neurons. |
Easter(复活节 ) is still a great day for worship, randy in baskets and running around the yard finding eggs, but every year it gets quite a bit worse for bunnies.
And no, not because the kids like to pull their ears. The culprit is climate change, and some researchers found that rising temperatures are having harmful effects on at least five species of rabbit in the US.
Take the Lower Keys March rabbit, for instance. An endangered species that lives in the Lower Florida Keys, this species of cottontail is a great swimmer — it lives on the islands! — but it is already severely affected by development and now by rising levels. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, an ocean level rise of only 0. 6 meters will send these guys jumping to higher ground and a 0.9-meter rise would wipe out their habitat (栖息地) completely.
The snowshoe hare, on the other hand, has a color issue. Most of these rabbits change their fur color from white in the wintertime to brown in the summer, each designed to give them better cover from predators（捕食者）.As the number of days with snow decreases all across the country, however, more and more bunnies arc being left in white fur during brown dirt days of both fall and spring, making them an easier mark for predators. Researchers know that the color change is controlled by the number of hours of sunlight, but whether the rabbit will be able to adapt quick enough to survive is a big question. The National Wildlife Federation has reported that hunters have noticed their numbers are already markedly down.
American pikas or rock rabbits, a relative of rabbits and hares, might be the firs' of these species to go extinct due to climate change. About 7-8 inches long, pikas live high in the cool, damp mountains west of the Rocky Mountains. As global temperatures rise, they would naturally migrate (迁徙) to higher ground — but they already occupy the mountaintops. They can't go any higher. The National Wildlife Federation reports that they might not be able to stand the new temperatures as their habitat beats up.
The volcano rabbit has the same problem. These rabbits live on the slopes of volcanoes in Mexico, and recent studies have shown that the lower range of their habitat has already shifted upward about 700 meters, but there are not suitable plants for them to move higher, so they are stuck in the middle. Scientists are concerned about their populations.
Native to the US, pygmy rabbits weigh less than 1 pound and live in the American West. They are believed to be the smallest rabbits in the world. Their habitats have been destroyed by development. Several populations, such as the Columbia Basin pygmy, almost went extinct and were saved by zoo breeding programs. Pygmy rabbits also rely on winter cover by digging tunnels through the snow to escape predators, but lesser snowfall is leaving them exposed.
All of this gives new meaning to dressing up in a giant bunny costume this Easter.
1.The writer mentions Easter at the beginning of the passage in order to_______.
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A．show the importance of Easter Day |
B．introduce the issue about bunnies |
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C．remind people of Easter traditions |
|
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D．discuss the relationship between Easter and bunnies |
2.The word “culprit” ( Paragraph 2) is closest in meaning to______.
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A．criminal |
B．judge |
C．victim |
D．producer |
3.According to the passage, some rabbits can now be easily discovered by predators because they_______
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A．are exposed lo more skillful hunters |
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B．have moved to habitats with fewer plants |
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C．haven't adapted themselves to climate change |
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D．can't change their fur color into white in the fall and the spring |
4.The problem faced by volcano rabbets and rock rabbits is that________.
A. both are affected by 1ess snow
B. both are affected by rising sea levels
C neither can find enough food
D. neither can migrate to higher places
If Confucius（孔子）were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He’d need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.
While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It’s nothing personal. Most Americans don’t even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.
But this doesn’t mean that Americans don’t care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.
In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually included Chinese art, history and philosophy（哲学）.Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantages of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks of Westerners philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.
So the old thinker’s ideas are still alive and well.
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.
As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.
1.The opening paragraph is mainly intended to ________
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A．provide some key facts about Confucius |
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B．attract the readers’ interest in the subject |
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C．show great respect for the ancient thinker |
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D．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations |
2.We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students______
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A．have a great interest in studying Chinese |
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B．take an active part in Chinese competitions |
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C．try to get high scores in Chinese exams |
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D．fight for a chance to learn Chinese |
3.What is the best title for the passage?
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A．Forgotten Wisdom in America |
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B．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language |
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C．Chinese Culture for Westerners |
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D．Old Thinker with a Big Future |
4.The passage is likely to appear in ___________.
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A．a biography |
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B．a history paper |
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C．a newspaper |
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D．a philosophy textbook |
