Most people agree that honesty is a good thing. But does Mother Nature agree? Animals can't talk, but can they lie in other ways? Can they lie with their bodies and behavior? Animal experts may not call it lying, but they do agree that many animals, from birds to chimpanzees, behave dishonestly to fool other animals. Why? Dishonesty often helps them survive.
Many kinds of birds are very successful at fooling other animals. For example, a bird called the plover sometimes pretends to be hurt in order to protect its young. When a predator（猎食动物）gets close to its nest, the plover leads the predator away from the nest. How? It pretends to have a broken wing. The predator follows the "hurt" adult, leaving the baby birds safe in the nest.
Another kind of bird, the scrub jay, buries its food so it always has something to eat. Scrub jays are also thieves. They watch where others bury their food and steal it. But clever scrub jays seem to know when a thief is watching them. So they go back later, unbury the food, and bury it again somewhere else.
Birds called cuckoos have found a way to have babies without doing much work. How? They don't make nests. Instead, they get into other birds' nests secretly. Then they lay their eggs and fly away. When the baby birds come out, their adoptive parents feed them.
Chimpanzees, or chimps, can also be sneaky. After a fight, the losing chimp will give its hand to the other. When the winning chimp puts out its hand, too, the chimps are friendly again. But an animal expert once saw a losing chimp take the winner's hand and start fighting again.
Chimps are sneaky in other ways, too. When chimps find food that they love, such as bananas, it is natural for them to cry out. Then other chimps come running. But some clever chimps learn to cry very softly when they find food. That way, other chimps don't hear them, and they don't need to share their food.
As is mentioned above, animals behave dishonestly for survival. Is it OK to lie for us human?
1.The writer uses the three questions at the beginning of the passage to _________.
A. ask the readers to answer the questions
B. draw the readers’ attention to the topic
C. seek answers to the questions
D. show he is at a loss about the question.
2.Which of the following is not an example of animal’s dishonest behaviors?
A. A plover pretended to have a broken wing to protect its baby birds.
B. A scrub jay dug out its buried food and reburied it somewhere else.
C. The adoptive parents feed their baby birds of cuckoos.
D. A losing chimp starts fighting again after taking the winner’s hand.
3.The underlined word “sneaky” in paragraph 5 most probably means______.
A. selfish B. friendly
C. entertaining D. dishonest
4.What is the common reaction of most chimps when they find their favorite food?
A. They let out a loud cry
B. They cry in a very low voice
C. They hide their food immediately
D. They share their food with other chimps.
When Jeff Sparkman draws his cartoon superheroes with colored pencils, he often has to ask other people to tell him what color his masked men turned out to be because he's color-blind. Now, a new smart phone application (app) can help him figure out what colors he's using and how the picture looks to most everyone else.
The DanKam app, available for iPhone and Android for $2.99, is an application that turns the vague colors that one percent of the population with color-blindness sees into the "true" colors as everyone else sees them. In America, an estimated 32 million color-blind Americans---95% are males---can soon have their life improved.
"DanKam takes the stream of data coming in through the phone's camera and changes the colors slightly so they fall within the range that people who are color-blind see," developer Dan Kaminsky told CNET. He came up with the idea after watching the 2009 film Star Trek with a color-blind friend.
It was then that he got to know more about colorblindness like its varying types and degrees. A vast majority, for instance, have trouble seeing red or green due to a genetic defect(遗传缺陷). Blue-yellow colorblindness, however, is rarer and develops later in life because of aging, illness or head injuries, etc. He started experimenting with one of the most common representations of points in the RGB color model. What the DanKam app attempts to do is to clean up the color space of the image or video signal so that colors can be visible to those suffering from viewing problems. “You can adjust the app to fit your needs. There is a range and not everyone who is color-blind sees things the same.” Says Kaminsky.
Sparkman, a copy editor at CNET, tried out the app and was pleased with the results. "It would be useful for dressing for a job interview," he said. But using it for his art is “the most practical application." It worked well on LED and other lights on electronic gadgets, which means Sparkman can now identify the power light on his computer display as green.
1.According to the first two paragraphs, we can know that DanKam ___________.
A. appeared in the movie Star Trek
B. can turn vague colors into real ones
C. is a phone used to help drawing pictures
D. is designed to help people with colorblindness
2.How does DanKam’s app work?
A. It puts LED and other lights on electronic gadgets.
B. It changes the colors so that color-blind people can see them.
C. It checks color-blind people’s types of degrees of colorblindness.
D. It shows common representations of points in the RGB color model
3.It can be inferred from the passage that colorblindness __________.
A. cannot be cured by any methods
B. is more commonly seen in women
C. is not necessarily inborn disease
D. makes people unable to tell any colors
4.Which of the following is NOT included in the things that DanKam helps Sparkman with?
A. Choosing clothes.
B. Drawing his pictures.
C. Playing computer games
D. Handling electronic gadgets.
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1.This advertisement is designed especially for those who __________．
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With all the wars, fighting and sadness in the world today, it's not only necessary, but also essential to have a good sense of humor just to help us get through each and every day of our lives. Putting a smile on someone's face when you know they are feeling down in the dump, makes me feel good and warms my heart.
How would you feel if you could not joke around with your wife, husband, child, co-worker, neighbor, close friends, or even just someone that you are standing in line with at your corner store? I am always saying things that make others smile or laugh, even if I don't know the person I'm joking around with. My Grandma always found humor in everything she did, even if it was the hardest job anyone could imagine. This not only relieves stress in any situation, but also is common courtesy(礼貌)to speak to others that are around you.
I know of a few people that don’t have a funny bone in their bodies, as they say.
Everyone around them could be rolling on the floor after hearing a great joke and they would sit there without the slightest smile on their face. They don't get the joke that makes others laugh. I am busting a gut while they just sit there, looking at me as if I were from outer space. How can people not get a really funny joke?
Laughing is essential to keep your stress levels under control. Without humor we would find ourselves with a lot of psychological problems, or on a lot of medications to keep us from going crazy. There is too much sadness in this present world. It drives people crazy. We all need to find a way to ignore the sadness and bring a little light into our lives. So, I believe our best medicine is to get together and tell some jokes and have some fun laughing together.
1.According to the author, humor is useful in the aspect that _________.
A. it makes people more confident
B. it can pick up people’s spirits
C. it can help get rid of the cruelty in the world
D. it can help people get on well with others
2.From the second paragraph, we can know that __________.
A. the writer is funny and polite
B. family members should play tricks on each other
C. the writer’s grandma is humorous
D. we should relieve stress in any situation
3.The phrase “busting a gut" in the third paragraph can be replaced by _______.
A. explaining carefully B. speaking loud
C. keeping silent D. laughing hard
4.In writing the passage, the author mainly intends to _______.
A. encourage people to be humorous in daily life
B. talk about his own understanding of humor
C. introduce a practical way to get through daily life
D. convince people of the power of being optimistic about life
5.What is the author’s attitude towards the present world?
A. Critical B. Positive
C. Satisfied D. Indifferent
With her pretty face and soulful voice, Zhang Bichen was instantly thought a possible champion when she first set foot on the stage of the TV show The Voice of China.
On Oct 7, 2014, the 25-year-old girl won the fierce competition and received the title of the “Voice of the Year”. Zhang’s dream of being a singer star came true at last. What impressed people was not only Zhang’s singing skills, but her willingness to make an effort. “I gained the opportunity to sing on The Voice of China,” she said.
In fact, being a singer has always been her dream. She wanted to apply to a college for singing, but her parents insisted that she should have a stable job after graduation because she did very well at academic studies. So Zhang gave in to her parents and learned French at university. However, in the first year of her college, she was discovered by a South Korean company when she entered a singing competition. To pursue her dream, Zhang signed a contract with the company, started her career in South Korea, and became a member of a band.
“My company had rules that did not allow us to use cell phones. During the first few months after I arrived in South Korea, a totally unfamiliar country, I felt terribly homesick. But I could only phone my parents in the restroom when nobody noticed.” said Zhang. “When I did not have much income, I had to eat instant noodles every day for months.”
It was her positive attitude and outgoing character that helped her through. “When I feel down, I tell myself it is not winning or losing that matters. The most important things are standing on the stage and singing for people.” she said.
1.On October 7, 2014, Zhang Bichen ________.
A. won the championship of The Voice of China
B. signed a contract with a big company
C. first set foot on the Chinese stage
D. was successful in her study
2.The reason why Zhang learned French at university is that _______.
A. she is good at French
B. French is popular in the world
C. it is easy for her to find a stable job
D. she can realize her dream
3.What is the main idea of the last two paragraphs?.
A. The company in South Korea has strict rules.
B. Zhang’s road to success isn’t easy.
C. Zhang always lives a simple life in South Korea.
D. Zhang has an outgoing character.
完形填空
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
Did you know Saint George's Day? , for many English people the answer to this question will be “No”. We get very excited about Saint Patrick's Day, and then completely that we have our own national day! For me, it's to remember the date as it's also my grandma's birthday.
Saint George is the patron saint(守护神）of England. According to legend（传说）, a dragon lived in a lake near a town. People were of the dragon and every day they would it two sheep. there weren't enough sheep, a child would be fed to the dragon ! One day, the king's daughter was . The king didn't want to lose his daughter; he tried money to the townspeople. However, they didn't want the money and his daughter must be fed to the dragon. While the princess the dragon by the lake, Saint George rode by on his horse and killed the dragon with a（n） .
Over the years, different versions of the have been told. There are lots of paintings and sculptures Saint George. The English flag, which is white with a red cross, is as the Saint George's Cross. Although it is an important day in the Christian calendar, it is a day which passes in the UK. It is not a national holiday, is it a day with many celebrations. Now, organizations such as English Heritage are trying to the British public to England's national day. Hopefully, their work will .
1.A. Unfortunately B. Apparently C. Shamefully D.Actually
2.A. forget B. realize C. identify D. believe
3.A. essential B. possible C. simple D. easy
4.A. fond B. tired C. scared D. aware
5.A. send B. leave C. feed D. reserve
6.A. While B. As C. Although D. If
7.A. still B. instead C. too D. only
8.A. killed B. chosen C. saved D. seized
9.A. providing B. preparing C. lending D. offering
10.A. insisted B. required C. announced D. admitted
11.A. looked for B. dealt with C. got close to D. waited for
12.A. cross B. knife C. sword D. arrow
13.A. festival B. dragon C. story D. holiday
14.A. appreciating B. describing C. praising D. informing
15.A. realized B. known C. used D. shaped
16.A. silently B. unbearably C. unnoticedly D. successfully
17.A. nor B. and C. either D. even
18.A. encourage B. force C. demand D. advise
19.A. remain B. celebrate C. hold D. memorize
20.A. come out B. turn up C. give in D. pay off
