阅读理解。
Recordings of angry bees are enough to send big, tough African elephants running away, a new study says.Beehives (蜂窝) — either recorded or real — may even prevent elephants from damaging farmers' crops.
In 2002, scientist Lucy King and her team found that elephants avoid certain trees with bees living in them.Today, Lucy wants to see if African honeybees might discourage elephants from eating crops.But before she asked farmers to go to the trouble of setting up beehives on their farms, she needed to find out if the bees would scare elephants away.
Lucy found a wild beehive inside a tree in northern Kenya and set up a recorder.Then she threw a stone into the beehive, which burst into life.Lucy and her assistant hid in their car until the angry bees had calmed down.Next, Lucy searched out elephant families in Samburu National Reserve in northern Kenya and put a speaker in a tree close to each family.
From a distance, Lucy switched on the prerecorded sound of angry bees while at the same time recording the elephants with a video camera.Half the elephant groups left the area within ten seconds.Out of a total of 17 groups, only one group ignored the sound of the angry bees.Lucy reported that all the young elephants immediately ran to their mothers to hide under them.When Lucy played the sound of a waterfall (瀑布) instead of the angry bees to many of the same elephant families, the animals were undisturbed.Even after four minutes, most of the groups stayed in one place.
Lucy is now studying whether the elephants will continue to avoid the sound of angry bees after hearing it several times.She hasn't tested enough groups yet to know, but her initial (最初的) results were promising enough to begin trials with farmers.She has now begun placing speakers in the fields to see if elephants are frightened away.
1.We know from the passage that elephants may be frightened of ________.
A.loud noises B.some crops
C.video cameras D.angry bees
2.Why did Lucy throw a stone into a wild beehive?
A.To record the sound of bees.
B.To make a video of elephants.
C.To see if elephants would run away.
D.To find out more about the behavior of bees.
3.As mentioned in the passage, Lucy________.
A.works by herself in Africa
B.needs to test more elephant groups
C.has stopped elephants eating crops
D.has got farmers to set up beehives on their farms.
4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Young elephants ignore African honeybees.
B.Waterfalls can make elephants stay in one place.
C.Elephants do not go near trees with bees living in them.
D.Farmers do not allow Lucy to conduct tests in their fields.
阅读理解。
“I’ve changed my mind.I wanted to have a telescope，but now I want my dad back.” Lucien Lawrence’s letter to his father for Christmas written after his father had been knifed to death outside his school gate，must have touched everyone’s heart.Lucien went on to say that without his father he couldn’t see the stars in the sky.When those whom we love depart from us，we cannot see the stars for a while.
But Lucien，the stars are still there，and one day，when you are older and your tears have gone，you will see them again.And，in a strange way，I expect that you will find your father there，too，in your mind and heart.I find that my parents，who died years ago，still figure in many of my dreams and that I think of them perhaps more than I ever did when they were alive.I still live to please them and I’m still surprised by their reactions.I remember that when I became a professor，I was so proud，or rather so pleased with myself that I couldn’t wait to cable my parents.The reply was a long time in coming，but when it did，all my mother said was “I hope this means that now you will have more time for the children！” I haven’t forgotten.The values of my parents still live on.
It makes me pause and think about how I will live on in the hearts and minds of my children and of those for whom I care.Would I have been as ready as Philip Lawrence have been to face the aggressors，and to lay down my life for those in my care？How many people would want me back for Christmas？It’s a serious thought，one to give me pause.
I pray silently，sometimes，in the dead of night，that ancient cry of a poet “Deliver my soul from the sword，and my darling from the power of the dog.” Yet I know the death comes to us all，and sometimes comes suddenly.We must therefore plan to live forever，but live as if we will die tomorrow.We live on，I’m sure，in the lives of those we love，and therefore we ought to have a care for what they will remember and what they will treasure.If more parents knew this in their hearts to be true，there might be fewer knives on our streets today.
1.According to the whole text we can see that the first paragraph________.
A．puts forward the subject of the text
B．shows the author’s pity on the kid
C．relates a kid wrote a letter to his father
D．makes a clear statement of the author’ views
2.In the second paragraph the author mainly wants to explain to us________.
A．how much he misses his parents now
B．why his parents often appear in his dreams
C．when Lucien will get over all his sadness
D．how proud he was when he succeeded in life
3.What feelings did the author’s mother express in her reply?
A．Proud. B．Happy.
C．Disappointed. D．Worried.
4.In the author’s opinion，the value of a person’s life is ________.
A．to leave a precious memory to those he loves and cares for
B．to have a high sense of duty to the whole society
C．to care for what others will remember and treasure
D．to share happiness and sadness with his family
5.What does the writer mean by mentioning the sentence taken from an old poem?
A．Call on criminals and murderers to lay down their guns.
B．Advise parents to stay with their children safely at home.
C．Spend every day meaningfully while alive.
D．Try to keep violence and murder far away from society.
阅读理解。
Contrary to popular belief, looking at someone's face alone is not enough to tell us whether they are roaring in celebration or screaming in frustration, researchers claimed.While people may believe they have the ability to read each other's faces, body language is the real clue that shows whether strong emotions someone is feeling are positive or negative.
In a study, groups of participants were shown a series of facial expressions such as tennis players photographed just after winning or losing a point.
In some cases the volunteers were able to see the player's full body, but in others they were only shown either their face or their body with the other removed.
Participants could clearly tell whether the players were winning or losing when they were shown the full picture or just the body, but their guesses were no better than chance when based on the face alone.
Those who were allowed to see the full image were convinced they had made their judgment based on the players' facial expressions even though results from the two other groups suggested otherwise.
The researchers carried out a second study where participants were shown a wider range of faces showing emotions including joy, pleasure, victory, pain and defeat.
Using photoediting software, the researchers attached the faces to bodies expressing the opposite emotion, and asked participants to act out the emotions they saw in the photos.
The resulting poses were like the body poses in the photographs but not the facial expressions, demonstrating that people base their interpretation of strong emotions not on the face but the body.
Dr Aviezer, who led the study, said, “These results show that when emotions become extremely intense, the difference between positive and negative facial expressions becomes unclear.The results may help researchers understand how our body interacts during emotional situations.For example, individuals may fail to recognize facial expressions, but if they are trained to process important body language, their performance may significantly improve.”
1.People tend to believe that ________.
A.someone's body language has an effect on their feelings
B.reading someone's face alone cannot tell their feelings
C.someone's body language is the only clue to their feelings
D.someone's feelings can be read by their facial expressions
2.What do we know about the first study?
A.The participants were divided into four groups.
B.All participants were given the same pictures to see.
C.It proved that emotions influence people's body language.
D.Participants could tell the players' feelings when seeing the full picture.
3.What did Dr Aviezer think of the results of the study?
A.Ridiculous. B.Useless.
C.Unrealistic. D.Helpful.
4.Which of the following can summarize the main idea of the passage?
A.Body rather than eyes is the window of the soul.
B.Facial expressions can reflect the emotions clearly.
C.Researchers link emotions to body language through software.
D.Two studies focus on the link between body language and emotions.
阅读理解。
Public bookshelves are appearing across Germany on street corners，city squares and in suburban supermarkets.In these freeforall libraries，people can grab whatever they want to read，and leave behind anything they want for others.There’s no need to register，no due date，and you can take or give as many as you want.“This project is aimed at everyone who likes to read.It is open for everybody，” Michael Aubermann，one of the organizers of the free book exchange said.
The western city’s latest public shelf was put up next to Bayenturm.It is the fourth free shelf that Aubermann’s group，the Cologne Citizen’s Foundation，has placed outside.“We set up our other outdoor shelves last year and it’s been working really well，” said Aubermann.The public bookshelves，which are usually financed by donations and cared for by local volunteer groups，have appeared independently of each other in many cities，suburbs and villages.Each shelf holds around 200 books and it takes about six weeks for a complete turnover，with all the old titles replaced by new ones.
Even commercial book stores and online book sellers seem to support the idea of free book exchanges.“We see this project rather as a sales promotion than as competition，” said Elmar Muether.“If books are present everywhere，it helps our business，too.”
So far，the Cologne book group has had few problems with damage or other problems.Aubermann said，“Propaganda (宣传) is the only kind of literature we do not allow here.”
At another bookshelf in the Bayenthal neighborhood，the lower shelves are reserved for children’s literature only.“It is important that we make it easy for everyone to participate in this ‘reading culture on the street’—from old readers to kids to immigrants，” Aubermann said.
While most of the shelves have so far been put up in upscale_neighborhoods，Aubermann and the 20 volunteers who help look after the project are planning to put up future shelves in poor neighborhoods，where citizens often don’t have as much access to literature.
1.Which of the following is TRUE about the public bookshelves?
A．People can take the books and leave their books at will.
B．People can’t borrow books unless they donate books.
C．People can borrow whatever they like after registering.
D．People have to return the books according to the required time.
2.According to Aubermann，the public bookshelves________.
A．are financed by local volunteers
B．have been going well since their birth
C．were managed by the local government
D．will hold more books and take a shorter turnover
3.The underlined phrase “upscale neighborhoods” refers to________.
A．communities that have many people
B．communities that have many tall buildings
C．communities that are free to live in
D．communities that are of high grade
4.Which might be the best title for the passage?
A．Public Reading Becomes Popular Worldwide
B．New Trends of Bookshelves in Germany
C．Public Bookshelves Spread Across Germany
D．Reading Culture on the Street in Europe
阅读理解。
Stressed? It is shown in recent research that walking or cycling to work calms you down (traveling by bus or train is also better than driving).
Walking to work reduces stress and improves brain power, researchers say. Adults who stopped driving the car and started walking or cycling became calmer and found it easier to concentrate. A study of 18,000 Britons found that going to work by train or bus improved their wellbeing compared with driving.
The study, published in the journal Preventive Medicine, also found that the longer people spent walking or cycling, the happier or less stressed they were. However, stress levels and inability to concentrate worsened if they spent more time in the car.
Lead researcher Adam Martin, from the University of East Anglia's Norwich Medical School, said that despite the crowds and disruption, walking to bus stops or stations and being able to relax on the journey “cheer people up”. Two thirds drive to work, 18 percent use public transport, 11 percent walk and 3 percent cycle.
A research earlier this year found that commuters (乘公共车辆往返者) had small but statistically significant lower scores on all measures of wellbeing. The worst effects were witnessed in those whose journeys last between 61 and 90 minutes. But when commuting time reaches three hours or more, the negative effects disappear, the report said.
“The effects of commuting on personal wellbeing are the greatest for anxiety and happiness, suggesting that commuting affects daytoday emotions more than overall evaluations of satisfaction with life or the sense that daily activities are worthwhile，” the report stated.
Dr Daniel Newman, from Cardiff University's Sustainable Places Research Institute, said, “This report says that many of us, who spend mornings and evenings sitting in traffic jam, already know: commuting can be a chore.”
1.What can be learned from Paragraph 1?
A.Driving for long drives people crazy.
B.Feeling stressed can be predicted.
C.Walking to work helps reduce stress.
D.Travelling by bus makes people excited.
2.Walking to work is something ________.
A.preferred by most people
B.easier to perform in daily life
C.making people more creative
D.beneficial to the sense of happiness
3.What does the underlined word “chore” probably mean?
A.Tiresome task.
B.Amazing challenge.
C.Meaningless thing.
D.Financial trouble.
4.What type of writing is this text?
A.A scientific report.
B.A transportation guide.
C.A policy announcement.
D.A new lifestyle introduction.
阅读理解
For anyone who is determined to be a fashion designer，it is not enough to have succeeded in college.The real test is whether they can survive，and become established during their early 20s，making a name for themselves in the real world where business skills can be as important as talent and creativity.
Fashion is a hard business.There is a continuous amount of stress because work is at a constant and extremely fast speed to prepare for the next season’s collections.It is extremely competitive and there is the constant need to make attractive advertisements of the latest fashion in newspapers and magazines.It also requires continual freshness because the appetite for new ideas is hard to satisfy.“We try to warn people before they come to us about how tough it is.” says Lydia Kemeny，Head of Fashion at St.Martin’s School of Art in London.“And we point out that drive and determination are absolutely necessary.”
This may seem far removed from the popular opinions of fashionable young people spending their time designing pretty dresses.That may well be what they do in their first year of study but a good college won’t be slow in introducing students to commercial realities，“We don’t walk our foot on the blossoming flower of creativity but in the second year we start introducing the restrictions of price，producing ability，marketing and so on.”
Almost all fashion design is done to a brief.It is not a form of selfexpression as such，although there is certainly room for imagination and creativity.Most young designers are going to end up as employees of a producer or a fashion house and they still need to be able to work within the characteristic style of their employer.Even those students who are most modern in their own taste of clothes may need to adapt to produce designs which are right for the mainstream of the market.They also have to be able to work at both the expensive and the cheap end of the market and the challenge to produce good design inexpensively may well be demanding.
1.Which of the following is mainly discussed in the passage?
A．Talent in fashion.
B．Good marks at college.
C．Ability to create new designs.
D．Business skills in fashion industry.
2.What can we learn from the second paragraph?
A．Fashion designers are highly motivated and really detemined.
B．Good preparations for the next season can reduce stress.
C．Consumers’ appetite for new ideas keeps changing.
D．Advertisement business is very competitive.
3.What does the underlined word “This” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
A．Lydia Kemeny’s opinion.
B．The competitive business world.
C．The warning to the young designers.
D．The real situation in fashion industry.
4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A．St.Martin’s School of Art encourages the new students to design dresses they like.
B．St.Martin’s School of Art requires students to develop their creativity in their designing.
C．St.Martin’s School of Art demands students to make pretty dresses for companies.
D．St.Martin’s School of Art focuses on teaching students commercial realities.
