It’s well known that our human memory can fail us. People can be forgetful, and they can sometimes also “remember” things incorrectly, with damaging consequences in the classroom, courtroom, and other areas of life. Now, researchers show for the first time that bumblebees(大黄蜂) can be unreliable witnesses too.
Bumblebees are rather clever animals, which explains why Chittka has been studying learning and memory in the insects for the last 20 years.
Most times when people have studied memory in animals, errors in performance have been taken to mean that the animals failed to learn the task or perhaps learned it and then forgot. But what if animals can experience a more interesting type of memory failure?
To find out, Chittka first trained bumblebees to expect a reward when visiting a yellow artificial flower followed by one with black-and-white rings. During subsequent tests, bees were given a choice between three types of flowers. Two were the types they’d seen in the training before. The third had yellow-and-white rings, representing a mixed-up version of the other two. Minutes after the training, the bees showed a clear preference for the flower that recently rewarded them.
One or three days later, however, something very different happened when the bumblebees’ memory was put to the test. At first, the bees showed the same preference displayed in the earlier tests, but as the time went on, they began selecting the flower with yellow rings, even though they’d never actually seen that one in training before.
Chittka says that insects make similar errors in the conjunction (结合) of long-term memories as humans do. The ability to extract (提取) common features between different events in the environment might come at the expense of remembering every detail correctly. In bees, with their limited brain capacity (容量), the pressure to store main features of several objects rather than each individual object might be much greater, compared with humans.
1.Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
A. Human memory can fail sometimes.
B. Bumblebees make false memories too.
C. Humans are not as clever as bumblebees.
D. Bumblebees have extraordinary memory.
2.Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined word “subsequent”?
A. scientific B. accurate
C. following D. exceptional
3.According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. Memory failure influences students’ study effects.
B. Bumblebees’ memory is complicated and worth studying.
C. The bees couldn’t make out which flower had rewarded them days later.
D. Bumblebees are stupid insects with limited brain capacity.
4. What does the test mentioned in Paragraph 4 tell us?
A. Short-term memories serve the bees well.
B. The yellow artificial flower appeals to the bees.
C. Bumblebees like the flowers with yellow-and-white rings.
D. Bees have remarkable abilities to distinguish colors.
5.We can infer from the passage that ______.
A. Chittka thinks that bumblebees failed to remember the color of the flowers
B. Researchers have learned that bumblebees are unreliable animals
C. There exist no similarities between the memory errors in humans and bees.
D. It is less challenging for humans than bees to store main features of several objects.
“BANG!” the door caused a reverberation (回声). It was just standing there, with father standing on one side, and me on the other side.
We were both in great anger. “Never set foot in this house again!” stormed father. With tears welling up in my eyes, I rushed out of the flat and ran along the street.
The street lights were shining, causing rather sad feelings. I wandered aimlessly.
A young father who held a child in his arms walked past me. I felt as if I saw my childhood from another space: happy and carefree.
But now I dont know whether it is because I have grown up or because dad is getting old. We differ in our ways of thinking. We are just like two people coming from two different worlds. It feels like there is an iron door between us that can never be opened.
I wandered the streets, without a destination in mind. My heart was frozen on this hot summer night. As I walked on, there were fewer and fewer people on the streets, until I had only the street lights to keep me company. When I finally reached the high-rise apartment block in which I lived, I saw that the light was still on.
I thought to myself: Is father waiting for me, or is he still angry with me?
In fact, it was nothing. Perhaps, dad was throwing away some of his old stamps. Perhaps he thought they were useless. I never had the courage to tell him that I liked collecting stamps.
All the lights were off except fathers.
Dad was always like this. Maybe he didnt know how to express himself. After shouting at me, he never showed any mercy or any moments of regret.
This was how he always was. He has been a leader for so long that telling everyone else what to do has become his second nature.
The light was still on. Am I wrong? I whispered, maybe With the key in my hand, I was as nervous as I had ever been. At last, I decided to open the door. As soon as I opened the door, tears ran down my cheeks. I suddenly realized that the iron door that I had imagined between us did not exist at all. Love----its second to none.
1.Which is the correct order of the following events according to the passage?
a. I opened the door and entered the house.
b. I ran out into the street angrily.
c. I reached the place where I lived and saw my house still brightly lit.
d. I recalled my happy childhood.
e. I began to walk about in the street without any aim.
A. e, b, d, c, a B. b, e, d, c, a
C. b, e, c, d, a D. e, b, c, a, d
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The author fully understood why he and his father had different thinking.
B. The author’s father didn’t approve of his stamp collecting.
C. The author and his father lacked communication.
D. The author’s father opened the door for him when he came back.
3.According to the author, why did his father often shout at him?
A. Perhaps the father was getting older and older.
B. Perhaps the son had already grown up.
C. Perhaps they never agreed with each other.
D. Perhaps the father had been used to doing that.
4.What did the author mean by the underlined sentence “My heart was frozen on this hot summer night”?
A. He felt lonely because there were so few people on the street.
B. He felt uncomfortable because it was a very hot night.
C. He was completely disappointed with his father.
D. He was at a loss because he had nowhere to go.
5.What was the author’s attitude towards his father at the end of the story?
A. He loved his father.
B. He was frustrated with his father.
C. He was afraid of his father.
D. He was dissatisfied with his father.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) ---- About 140 pilot whales that stranded(使...搁浅) themselves on a remote stretch of New Zealand beach have died, but conservation workers and volunteers are hoping the remaining 60 or so will survive after they managed to get them refloated, an official said Saturday.
The geography of Farewell Spit on the South Island seems to work against whales, which regularly become stranded there. The stranding of 198 whales on Friday was one of the largest in recent years and inspired 80 workers and volunteers to help out.
By late Saturday, 140 of the whales had died, said Department of Conservation area manager Andrew Lamason.
He said the workers and volunteers worked throughout the day to keep the surviving whales watered and covered before refloating them during Saturday night’s high tide.
“We’ve had a really good crew of volunteers, and people have been wanting to come from all over the country,” Lamason said.
He said the surviving whales had moved to deeper water. But he cautioned that although hopes for their survival were high, whales had been refloated in the past only to return and get stranded again.
Lamason said the scale(规模) of the stranding has been tough on the helpers, both physically and mentally.
“It’s very sad, they’re very intelligent animals,” he said. “The common view is that it’s part of nature.”
The focus will now turn to the dead whales, and the enormous task of dealing with the remains, Lamason said, adding that in the past helpers have typically buried them in the sand, but that he’s not sure what the approach will be this time.
He said the department had been experimenting with moving the the dead whales into the water, which has the advantage of providing food for other sea creatures.
1.What is the exact number of whales stranded last Friday?
A. 140. B. 60. C. 80. D. 198.
2. Why did the volunteers have to wait until Saturday before they could refloat the whales?
A. Because they were very busy on Friday.
B. Because they had to wait for the sea water to rise.
C. Because the whales were too intelligent.
D. Because the whales were buried deep in the sand.
3.Which of the following words can be used to describe Lamason’s attitude towards the result of refloating the whales?
A. Doubtful. B. Optimistic.
C. Positive. D. Careless.
4.What did Lamason say about the feelings of the workers and volunteers?
A. They were very happy to see so many whales.
B. They thought refloating the whales was not a hard job.
C. They were physically tired and emotionally hurt.
D. They believed that this is very natural.
5.How will the volunteers deal with the dead whales this time according to Lamason?
A. They will bury them in the sand.
B. They will throw them into the ocean.
C. They do not have any exact idea yet.
D. They will feed them to other sea creatures.
As the oldest university in the English-speaking world, Oxford is a unique and historic institution. There is no clear date of foundation, but teaching existed at Oxford in some form in 1096 and developed rapidly from 1167, when Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris. From 1878, academic halls were established for women and they were admitted to full membership of the University in 1920. Five all-male colleges first admitted women in 1974. St Hilda's College, which was originally for women only, was the last of Oxford’s single sex colleges. It has admitted both men and women since 2008.
By 1200, the town of Cambridge had at least one school of some distinction. Then, in 1209, some scholars settled there. By 1226 the scholars were numerous enough to have set up an organisation, and seem to have arranged regular courses of study, taught by their own members. From the start there was conflict between the town and the students. Students, usually aged about fourteen or fifteen, often caused disturbances; citizens of the town, on the other hand, were known to overcharge for rooms and food. King Henry III took the scholars under his protection as early as 1231 and arranged for them to be sheltered from exploitation by their landlords.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1861 in response to the increasing industrialization of the United States, MIT adopted a European university model and stressed laboratory instruction in applied science and engineering. The current 168-acre campus opened in 1916 and extends over 1 mile (1.6 km) along the northern bank of the Charles River basin.
On April 29, 1911, Tsinghua Xuetang began its first term of study, and from that year on, the Tsinghua’s anniversary has fallen on the last Sunday of April. Following the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japan in 1937, Tsinghua University, Peking University and Nankai University combined to form the National Southwest Associated University in Kunming. After the war, Tsinghua University moved back to its original Beijing campus.
1.The University of Oxford did not take in female students until ______.
A. 2008 B. 1878 C. 1920 D. 1974
2.When the University of Cambridge was set up, ______.
A. there were too many scholars
B. students were mostly adults
C. King Henry III gave much help
D. the town people were very friendly
3.The reason for founding MIT is ______.
A. to meet the need of American industrialization
B. to take advantage of the European university style
C. to cover an extended area along the Charles River
D. to stress research and education in the physical sciences
4.Which of the four universities was once moved to another place in history?
A. Oxford. B. Cambridge.
C. MIT. D. Tsinghua.
5.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to this passage?
A. Henry III banned students attending the University of Paris.
B. The landlords of Cambridge asked for too much money.
C. MIT covers a very large area of land.
D. Tsingua, Peking and Nankai once joined together.
One afternoon, I arrived home late from school. While I was chatting to my grandmother about my busy day, my sister us, wanting to know if we, too, could smell burning.
As my parents were overseas, the thought of a terrified us and we quickly checked every room in the house. the kitchen, I could see a glowing light and hear a roaring sound. To my , the stove was on fire and smoke was blowing out of the window. I yelled to my sister and grandmother to the house. My sister grabbed the to call the fire brigade (消防队) and, together with the dog, we ran away from the house.
While we waited for help, a lady and her young daughter ran towards us to if we were hurt. She had noticed smoke coming from our window and had already the fire brigade. She hugged us and was very delighted to see us .
She led us to her car where we waited the fire was put out. She also helped us answer questions so the police could start their investigations.
Once the lady was that some order had been restored, she apologized for being to stay longer, as she had to take her daughter to a dance performance. She to return later to check in on us.
I was completely for words. This kind lady had gone out of her to make sure we were safe and now she was sorry about leaving us. We thanked her very much and her not to any further.
Hours later, we were allowed back into the house. It was about midnight when the doorbell rang. To my disbelief, it was the from earlier at the door.
, in all the commotion（混乱）, I didn’t ask her where she lived so my family hasn’t been able to thank her properly for her thoughtful actions that day.
1.A. informed B. interrupted C. introduced D. interviewed
2.A. fire B. thief C. storm D. robber
3.A. Going B. Coming C. Nearing D. Closing
4.A. delight B. amazement C. disappointment D. horror
5.A. get out of B. get back to C. get through D. get into
6.A. phone B. stick C. water tap D. loudspeaker
7.A. excitedly B. anxiously C. tiredly D. hardly
8.A. watch B. understand C. check D. ensure
9.A. met B. investigated C. declared D. alerted
10.A. terrified B. alone C. together D. safe
11.A. unless B. although C. until D. since
12.A. reported B. convinced C. warned D. disturbed
13.A. unable B. uncertain C. inconvenient D. impossible
14.A. promised B. decided C. refused D. expected
15.A. unknown B. puzzled C. beaten D. lost
16.A. house B. way C. trouble D. mind
17.A. insisted B. ordered C. urged D. suggested
18.A. live B. step C. explore D. delay
19.A. fireman B. policeman C. lady D. daughter
20.A. Undoubtedly B. Unfortunately C. Unlikely D. Unimportantly
Only when our project has been approved of by the committee ______ to carry it out.
A. did we start B. we started
C. can we start D. we start
