If the eyes are the romantic’s window into the soul, then the teeth are an anthropologist’s ( 人类学家 ) door to the stomach.
In a study published last month in the journal Science, Peter Ungar of the University of Arkansas and his partner, Matt Sponheimer of the University of Colorado, US, examined the teeth of our early human ancestors to find out what they were really eating.
They already knew that different foods cause different marks on teeth. Some cause scratches, while others cause pits (坑).The carbon left on teeth by different foods is also different. Tropical grasses, for example, leave one kind of carbon, but trees leave another kind because they photosynthesized ( 光合作用 ) differently.
Traditionally, scientists had looked at the size and shape of teeth and skulls ( 头骨 ) to figure out what early humans ate. Big flat teeth were taken to be signs that they ate nuts and seeds, while hard and sharp teeth seemed good for cutting meat and leaves. But this was proven wrong.
The best example was the Paranthropus (傍人), one of our close cousins, some of which lived in eastern Africa. Scientists used to believe Paranthropus ate nuts and seeds because they had big crests(突起)on their skulls, suggesting they had large chewing muscles and big teeth. If this had been true, their teeth should have been covered with pits like the surface of the moon. They would also have had a particular type of carbon on their teeth that typically comes from tree products, such as nuts and seeds.
However, when the two scientists studied the Paranthroupus, it turned out to have none of these characteristics. The teeth had a different kind of carbon, and were covered with scratches, not pits. This suggests they probably ate grass, not nuts and fruit stones. It was the exact opposite of what people had expected to find.
Carbon “foodprints” give us a completely new and different insight into what different species ate and the different environments they lived in. If a certain species had the kind of carbon on its teeth that came from grasses, it probably lived in a tropical grassland, for example.
1.The underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 probably means that _____.
A. anthropologists can study the structure of human stomachs by studying their teeth.
B. anthropologists can study the diet of early humans by studying their teeth
C. anthropologists can learn whether humans were healthy by looking at their teeth
D. anthropologists can get the most useful information about humans from their teeth
2.According to Paragraph 3 to 5, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Scratches on teeth are caused by eating nuts or seeds.
B. Pits on teeth are caused by eating grass or leaves.
C. Early humans with hard and sharp teeth ate meat and leaves.
D. Different foods leave different marks and carbon on teeth.
3.The example of the Paranthropus was mentioned in the article in order to _____.
A. tell readers that they are one of our close cousins living in eastern Africa
B. tell readers they had different eating habits from modern humans
C. prove that size and shape of skulls does not show accurately what early humans ate
D. tell readers that living environment makes a difference to skull structure
What’s On Stage
An acrobatic show: To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the China Acrobatic Troupe (剧团) will present “The Soul of China”, where the seemingly impossible is made real. Chills will run down your spine(脊柱) as you watch breathlessly as performers take their art and their bodies to the edge.
Time: 7:30 p.m., September 13-19
Place: Capital Theatre, 22 Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District
Exhibitions
Joint Show: A group ink painting exhibition is running at the Huangshicheng Art Gallery in Beijing. About 50 works by 25 young artists including Ge Yun and Yu Yang are on display.
Time: 9:00 a. m.-5:00 p.m. until September 10
Place: Huangshicheng Art Gallery, 136 Nanchizi Dajie, Dongcheng DistrictOil paintings: The Wanfung Art Gallery will host a joint show of oil painting by 10 young and middle-aged artists. On display are more than 30 of their latest works, which capture the wondrous variety of life in unique styles.
Time: 9:00 a.m. -4:00 p.m. until September 15
Place: 136 Nanchizi Street, Dongcheng District
Literature museum: The National Museum of Modern Chinese Literature offers an in-depth study of the evolution of Chinese contemporary literature from 1919 to 1949.
Time: 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., daily
Place: 45 Anyuan Donglu, Chaoyang District (Shaoyaoju area)
ConcertsBeijing rocks: “The Fashion Night of Chinese Rock” is set to bring rock fans out by the thousands next month. Nine Chinese rock bands will perform at the concert, including older generation bands, middle generation and some recent arrivals. The audience will be given a chance to decide what songs they want to hear, which is sure to bring a storm.
Time: September 16
Place: The Olympic Center
Belgium orchestra：La Petite Bande, the Baroque Orehestra of Belgium, will perform in Beijing at the Grand Theatre of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities as part of activities across the world in memory of the 250th anniversary of Bach’s death.
Time: 7:30 p.m. September 11-14
Place: Grand Theatre of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities
1.What do you think of the acrobatic show mentioned above?
A. When you watch it, you will certainly feel cold.
B. Unexpected things will make you excited and surprised.
C. Something strange will puzzle everyone, including scientists.
D. Even the bravest ones will be too frightened to go on watching.
2.The most characteristic about the Fashion Night of Chinese Rock is that ______.
A. it will certainly cause a rock storm throughout China
B. it is to bring thousands of rock fans out of their homes
C. it is to be held in memory of one of the greatest musicians
D. it will let the audience choose the performers and the music
3.Suppose it is September 14 today, how many activities can people choose to attend?
A. 2. B. 3. C. 4. D. 5.
4.On the whole, we can conclude ______.
A. we can enjoy a large variety of cultural activities in Beijing
B. people in Beijing prefer modern culture to something traditional
C. most of the cultural activities in Beijing are for foreign visitors only
D. there are usually more cultural activities in September than in any other month
People are different. Some are extrovert. These people are outgoing, confident, and know the “gift of the gab”. They also feel very comfortable when in groups of people.
Unfortunately we have the other extreme. This is the introvert. The introvert feels sick in crowds, and does not like them. These people feel awkward in the crowds, when placed in this type of situation. Many introverts are shy and lack confidence. They need to get used to people, and want to run away when questioned by people.
The introvert feels very lonely in a crowd, but this could happen to the outgoing as well.
I think that I fall into the middle of the two kinds. Sometimes if I am comfortable about the type of people in the crowds, I feel welcome. If for some reason the crowd consists of different types of people, then I do not feel very comfortable in the crowd.
So what do I do when I suddenly feel lost and alone in the crowd? I try to calm my mind by taking deep breath and telling myself that even this will pass. I then try, and get away from the crowd by making excuses or even trying to get to my car and go home. This, of course, is a poor excuse and doesn’t often work well. These are excuses that are employed. The ones that I am not so proud of are acting like I have an emergency to go to. This is a very good lie, but I feel really bad afterwards.
I have tried this one, and have succeeded. I try and find someone who feels just like I do. I then try and make a new friend. Sometimes this works and sometimes it does not. This is quite a noble way of staying in the crowd.
1.What is the best title of the passage?
A. What is the character of the introvert?
B. Why do people feel lonely in a crowd?
C. How can we make ourselves calm down in a crowd?
D. What do you do when you suddenly feel lonely in a crowd?
2.The word “extrovert” is most likely to mean ______.
A. serious B. excited C. outgoing D. nervous
3.From the fourth paragraph we can infer that _____.
A. the writer is good at getting along with others
B. the writer does not like to deal with people from other regions
C. the writer sometimes does not feel very comfortable in the crowd
D. the writer has double personality when faced with different types of people
4.When the writer feels lonely, he prefers to calm down by _____.
A. making a call B. making excuses
C. holding his breath D. deep breathing
From my first day, I was attending press conferences and other media events all over town. I got to attend events at places I had never thought I’d get to: the White House, the Senate and House of Representative buildings at the Capitol (国会大厦), the Department of Health and Human Services, just to name a few. And I was sent to cover these events as if I were a reporter, not just an intern (实习生) .
In fact, I never really felt like an intern. I was given the opportunity to do the work that everyone else at the paper was doing. I covered stories on my own and wrote the articles myself. I was included in discussions for story ideas. I helped to edit the articles that went into the paper. I was able to take part in every aspect of the newspaper that I wanted to experience.
The best part of working at the Nation’s Health was the staff. They were supportive in letting me go out and do things on my own, while I always knew that they would be more than happy to answer any questions or help me with any problems I might have. Best of all, they treated me as their equal, not just an intern whom they could get to do all the work they didn’t want to do.
After interning at the Nation’s Health for nearly seven months and having more than 30 articles published, I had to move on. My experience there gave me insight into how the media work, which helps me when I’m trying to choose stories. In addition, it showed me that work really can be fun.
1.What is the passage mainly about?
A. How good reporting begins with journalism interns.
B. The author’s opportunity to work at the Nation’s Health.
C. The author’s experience working as an intern
D. The author’s first day as a professional reporter.
2.What impressed the author most when working at the Nation’s Health?
A. The employees treated her as one of them equally.
B. The opportunity to work alone.
C. Covering stories and writing articles
D. Coming up with story ideas for the newspaper.
3.We can infer that the author had thought an intern would be made to ____.
A. go to as many places as possible
B. do the boring things that others didn’t want to do
C. treat people equally, no matter who they were.
D. get help from a professional reporter
4.What did the author think of her experience of working at the Notion’s Health?
A. Meaningful B. Disappointing C. Tiring D. Surprising
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意， 然后从各题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
An old man had three children, all boys. When they had grown up, he called them together and told them that he was very __36__ and no longer able to provide, __37__ for himself .He ordered them to go out and bring him food and clothing.
The three brothers __38 __ , and after a very long while they came to a large__39__. They decided that once they got across they would __40__. The eldest told the youngest to take the middle road, and the second to go to the right, __41__ he himself would go to the left. Then, in a year’s time, they would __42__ to the same spot.
So they parted, and at the end of a year, as __43__, they found their way back to the riverside. The eldest asked the youngest what he had gotten during his travels, and the boy __44__: I have nothing but a __45__ . If you look into it, you can see all over the country, no matter how far away.”
When asked __46__ what he had gotten, the second brother replied : “Only a pair of sandals that are so full of __47__ that if one puts them on one can walk at once to any place in the country in one step.”
Then the eldest himself, said: “ I , __48__ , have obtained but little, a kind of medicine, that is all. But let us look into the mirror and see how father __49__.”
The youngest __50__ his mirror, and they all looked into it and saw that their father was already __51__.Then the elder said: “Let us __52__ home and see what we can do,” So the second brought out his sandals, and all three placed their feet inside them and , __53__ , they reached their father’s grave. Then the eldest took the__54__ out of his bag, and poured it over the grave. At once their father __55__, as if nothing had been the matter with him.
Now which of these three sons has performed the best?
1.A. old B. tired C. active D. unusual
2.A. merely B. even C. already D. ever
3.A. took down B. grew up C. set out D. turned around
4.A. plain B. temple C. mountain D. river
5.A. settle B. speed C. bathe D. separate
6.A. but B. although C. while D. if
7.A. refer B. return C. owe D. contribute
8.A. agreed B. tested C. proved D. called
9.A. rose B. replied C. aimed D. added
10.A. map B. rule C. mirror D. telescope
11.A. in doubt B. in store C. in time D. in turn
12.A. happiness B. time C. energy D. power
13.A. however B. therefore C. too D. anyway
14.A. came out B. got on C. made up D. broke down
15.A. produced B. fetched C. hid D. received
16.A. dead B. rich C. strong D. sick
17.A. call B. ride C. hurry D. drive
18.A. suddenly B. instead C. slowly D. immediately
19.A. fish B. medicine C. money D. wine
20.A. got up B. built up C. joined in D. passed away
After _____ seemed an endless effort, the patient was finally able to carry out _____ seemed a perfectly normal walk.
A. what ; what B. that；that
C. which；which D. it；it
