According to new research from the University of Cambridge in England, sheep are able to recognize human faces from photographs.
The farm animals, who are social and have large brains, were previously known to be able to recognize one another, as well as familiar humans. However, their ability to recognize human faces from photos alone is novel.
The recent study, the results of which were published in the journal Royal Society; Open Science, show the woolly creatures could be trained to recognize still images of human faces, including those of former President Barack Obama and actress Emma Watson.
Initially, the sheep were trained to approach certain images by being given food rewards. Later, they were able to recognize the images for which they had been rewarded. The sheep could even recognize images of faces shown at an angle, though their ability to do so declined by about 15 percent—the same rate at which a human’s ability to perform the same task declines,
“Anyone who has spent time working with sheep will know that they are intelligent and individual animals who are able to recognize their handlers.” said Professor Jenny Morton, who led the Cambridge study. “We’ve shown with our study that sheep have advanced face-recognition abilities, close to those of humans and monkeys.”
Recognizing faces is one of his most important social skills for human beings, and some disorders of the brain, including Huntington’s disease, affect this ability.
“Sheep are long-lived and have brains that are similar in size and complexity to those of some monkeys. That means they can be useful models to help us understand disorders of the brain, such as Huntington’s disease that develop over a long time and affect cognitive (认识的) abilities. Our study gives us another way to monitor how these abilities change.” Morton said.
1.According to the new research, what’s unusual about sheep?
A. They have large brains.
B. They can recognize their owners.
C. They can tell animals from humans.
D. They can recognize human faces from photographs.
2.How did the researchers train the sheep?
A. By giving food rewards.
B. By showing photos of famous people.
C. By guiding them to follow their handlers.
D. By showing photos of humans and monkeys by turns.
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Sheep have a higher face-recognition ability than monkeys.
B. The new discovery is of great benefit to the study of cognitive ability changes.
C. The sheep’s face-recognition ability may prevent some disorders of the brain.
D. The sheep’s face-recognition ability stays the same when shown photos at any angle.
4.What’s the best title of the passage?
A. A Wonderful Scientist
B. The Life of Sheep
C. A New Discovery about Sheep
D. How Sheep Recognize Each Other
Chinese audiences seemed not to have been satisfied with the third season of the highly anticipated food documentary A Bite of China.
Even though the series has maintained high viewership ratings since its comeback last week, much higher than other programs aired at the same time, the ranking on Douban, a social networking website featuring films, literature and events, slipped to 4.2 out of 10, as of Tuesday, compared with 9.3 and 8.4, respectively, for the first two seasons.
Picky viewers complain that some of the narration is not accurate, while others pinpoint misleading content. At the same time, food blogger @barbara questioned whether it is appropriate to give a close-up shot of the poisonous plant Nandina（南天竺）in a food program.
A Bite of China, which debuted in 2012, became hugely popular nationwide for its quality introduction of some rarely-known and mouth-watering domestic cuisine. In the new show, however, watchers are not satisfied with “irrelevant” food references, such as lipsticks made of Chinese traditional medicine and martial arts master.
The first episode introduced a hand-made iron frying pan from east China’s Shandong province, which prompted thousands of Chinese Internet users to buy one from China’s leading e-commerce website Tmall in the next few days. Sales of the pan at “Zhensanhuan” surged 6,000 times compared with a year ago, according to Beijing Youth Daily.
In response to overwhelming criticism and questions, A Bite of China production crew responded on Weibo that they seek innovation despite the risks following the first two phenomenal seasons.
“It is unavoidable to make comparisons with the first two, and some audiences may not accept the changes,” the crew said. “We explore the culture and civilization behind food, and give food a historic touch. That’s why we feature culinary（烹饪的）tools, feast and rituals, as well as a healthy diet to show Chinese wisdom and philosophy, which has not been shown in any food programs before.”
1.Why does the passage mention Nandina?
A. Because some of the narration is not accurate.
B. Because it may be improper to give a close-up shot of a poisonous plant.
C. Because it is misleading content.
D. Because it is not attractive at all to most picky viewers.
2.Which of the following elements leads to viewers’ dissatisfaction with the new show?
A. some mouth-watering domestic cuisines
B. food-unrelated items
C. some rarely-known cuisines
D. the increasing sales of the pan at “Zhensanhuan”
3.According to its production crew, what is unique to ‘A Bite of China III’?
A. It makes comparisons with the first two episodes.
B. It tells the story of some martial arts related to food.
C. It receives overwhelming criticism and questions from audience.
D. It focuses on cooking tools, rituals and healthy eating.
4.What is the best the title for the passage?
A. 'A Bite of China III' Draws Criticism from Audiences
B. 'A Bite of China III' Maintains High Viewership Ratings
C. 'A Bite of China III' Changes for the Worse
D. 'A Bite of China III' Explains its Purposes
International Airport Sheremetyevo Moscow
If You've Lost Personal Belongings
On Board --Contact the airline’s representatives
At the Airport --Contact:
-- Sheremetyevo Police Department
……………………………………+7(495)578-22-55
--Unclaimed luggage storage room in Terminal C
……………………………………+7(495)578-23-26
--Umclaimed luggage storage room in Terminal D
……………………………………+7(499)500-65-52
(domestic flights)
+7(495)753-86-41
(international flights)
When collecting Lost and Found items, you shall have an identification document, a boarding pass or a ticket,and also to indicate a place where the items were lost and prove they are yours.
If Your Luggage Is Lost or Damaged
Before leaving the arrival area, please turn to the Lost and Found counter to file a report. The written claim shall be submitted to the airline company not later than seven days from the time when the luggage was to be collected.
If your luggage is not found withintwenty-one days of the time when the claim was filed, you have the right to claim damages in the amount of not more than 600 rublesper kilogram. Amount refunded(退款) for a hand luggage lost through the fault of an airline is not more than 11,000 rubles regardless of its weight. Amount refunded for damaged luggage is calculated based on the same tariffs(关税).
Keep your flight documents (a ticket, boarding pass, luggage tag, anddelayed luggage report filed at the airport) untilthe end of the procedure for searching for your luggage.
Current information on luggage-tracing results
……………………………………+7(495)578-76-65
Lost and Found service of Aeroflot Airlines
……………………………………+7(495)544-33-25
(from9:00to20:00)
+7(495)753-86-41
(24 hours)
For further information please contact the airline.
1.What should you do if you find your personal possessions lost on board an airplane?
A. Submit a claim to the company. B. Go to the Lost and Found counter.
C. Contact the airline’s representatives. D. Contact the unclaimed luggage storage room.
2.How much money can you claim if your 20-kilogram hand luggage is lost?
A. 600 rubles. B. 11,000rubles at most.
C. 12,000 rubles at least. D. 12,000 rubles at most.
3.Which number will you probably dial to see whether your lost luggage has been found?
A. 7(495)578-76-65 B. 7(495)544-33-25
C. 7(499)500-65-52 D. 7(495)753-86-41
“My wallet! Where is it? ” were my first words when I found out my wallet was lost. I searched my memory for a few good seconds, and then________that I had left my precious wallet in the library. To be________, it was in the public toilet of the library!
_____the library was then closed, I had to wait until the next morning to begin my________. When I got there early the next day, all I found was a______bathroom.
At that time, all I could________was that the person who cleaned the restroom had________my wallet. So I________approached an old lady at the front desk. “Excuse me, is there a wallet found in the restroom yesterday? ” She walked through a door and________for a moment. Then she came back to the desk. “No, ” she said. I quickly thanked her and walked off,________.
Finally, I painfully________the fact that my wallet had gone.
A week later, I received a mysterious________in the mail. Sure enough, it was my________! And most surprisingly,________in it was missing! And there was a little yellow piece of paper folded up inside. I slowly unfolded it and a little medal of Christ fell off. The paper________like this:
Always________this medal with you, whatever your religion is, so the angel that was watching over you last________will always be close.
This person didn’t even leave a return________, so I couldn’t thank whoever it was.
From that day on, I promised myself to follow this example when I was in a________situation. I will make others as________as I was when I opened that package!
1.A. predicted B. realized C. explained D. imagined
2.A. obvious B. honest C. exact D. clear
3.A. Because B. Although C. Unless D. Even
4.A. work B. reading C. research D. search
5.A. crowded B. noisy C. clean D. deserted
6.A. run after B. hope for C. remember D. declare
7.A. hidden B. picked C. ignored D. found
8.A. secretly B. aimlessly C. politely D. angrily
9.A. disappeared B. hesitated C. rested D. escaped
10.A. surprised B. disappointed C. satisfied D. ashamed
11.A. accepted B. considered C. changed D. covered
12.A. present B. invitation C. notice D. package
13.A. wallet B. book C. reward D. treasure
14.A. something B. nothing C. everything D. anything
15.A. exposed B. described C. read D. announced
16.A. keep B. equip C. compare D. connect
17.A. month B. fortnight C. week D. year
18.A. reminder B. date C. message D. address
19.A. disappointing B. similar C. different D. difficult
20.A. annoyed B. puzzled C. crazy D. happy
阅读下面短文，在空白处填入 1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
The giant panda 1. (love) by people throughout the world. Chinese scientists 2. (recent) had a chance to study a wild female panda with a newborn baby. She was a very 3.(care) mother. For 25days, she never left her baby, not even to find something 4. (eat)! She would not let any other pandas come near. She licked the baby constantly to keep it clean. Any smell might attract natural 5.(enemy) that would try to eat the little comforting pats. The mother held the baby in her front paws much the way a human does. 6. it cried, she rocked it back and forth and gave it little comforting pats. The mother continued to care for the young panda 7. more than two years. By that time, the panda no longer needed 8.(it) mother for food. However, it stayed with her and leaned about the ways of the forest. Then, after two and a half years, the mother 9. (drive) the young panda away. It was time for her to have a new baby, 10. it was also time for the young panda to be independent.
假定你是李华，为帮助我市外国朋友了解中国文化，你所在的英语沙龙将举办元宵晚会。请发一封电子邮件给你的好友Jim，简要介绍相关情况并邀请他参加，内容包括：
1. 时间：下周二晚6点到8点；
2. 地点：俱乐部101室；
3. 内容：唱中国歌、比赛用筷子、包元宵等。
注意：1．词数100 左右，信的开头已给出，不计入总词数。
2．可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：筷子(chopsticks); 元宵(sweet dumplings)
Dear Jim,
How are you? _____________________________________________________________________
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