Some scientists believe that one of the most intelligent beings on Earth is in fact the octopus (章鱼).
Octopuses usually live at the bottom of river mouths and seas-areas which are not attractive to researchers. They are not social animals so it can be hard to study their interaction with others. And the octopus’ intelligence is not easy for humans to understand. When we observe some animals such as rats or dogs, we can often understand their behavior. Octopuses，however can seem like aliens (外星人). Scientists need to have a lot of imagination to understand what an octopus is thinking!
In the 1950s, the US Air Force sponsored scientists to study the way octopuses use their brains. They hoped that they could use this knowledge to help them build better computers. However, their brains were so complex that the scientists felt it of no significance to continue with it. Octopuses have a very complex nervous system and recent research suggests that they have some of their intelligence inside each arm, which means that each arm can “think” for itself. It also appears that they have a good memory, perhaps similar to a cat’s.
Perhaps the most striking thing about octopuses is their ability to change their color and body pattern. They do this to camouflage themselves to avoid their enemies and also to communicate with others. They can completely change their appearance in less than a second. It can change its skin to look like rocks, sand or planktron (浮游生物).
Some scientists have even suggested that these different patterns and colors are in fact a very hard language-and that each design is a different verb，adjective or noun. But nobody has been able to work out what they might be saying. There’s a long way to go to get to know the octopus completely.
1.What can we infer about the octopus’ intelligence from Paragraph 2?
A.It does not attract scientists. B.Little has been known about it.
C.It is equal to the cat’s or dog’s. D.Much has been done about it.
2.What can we say about scientists’ study on the octopus in the 1950s?
A.They had to give it up eventually. B.They used computers to help.
C.They found its arms could think. D.They judged it lived like a cat.
3.What does the underlined word “camouflage” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A.Relax. B.Strengthen. C.Hide. D.Express.
4.What does the author think of the octopuses?
A.They are the smartest animals. B.They’re easy to be seen in the sea.
C.It is useful to copy their language. D.It is difficult to understand them.
Buckingham Palace
It is the official residence of Queen Elizabeth II in London. The architectural core of Buckingham Palace is the former Buckingham House，built in 1703. You can visit the state rooms from August to October when the Queen is on holiday. It is one of the world’s most familiar buildings. It has 775 rooms. During the summer the famous Changing of the Guards takes place at the front of the palace at 11:30 and is a popular event for visitors to the capital.
Big Ben and Westminster Palace
It is one of London’s best-known landmarks. Big lien is the name of the clock inside the Clock Tower. It lies at the north-eastern end of the Houses of Parliament. Westminster Palace is one of the largest parliaments in the world. It was built between 1840 and 1880.
The Tower of London
The Tower of London is a historical monument in Central London on the north bank of the river Thames. It was founded by William the Conqueror. It was a palace and a prison (for Queen Elizabeth I for example).There you can see strange guards called “the Beefeaters”. Since the beginning of the 14th century, the Tower of London has been the home of the world famous British Crown Jewels-they are a must of your visit!
Trafalgar Square
It was named in 1835 to give honour to the memory of the British victory over the French at Trafalgar in 1805. There is a huge statue of Admiral Nelson (the British hero killed during the battle) in the middle of the square. It is a popular tourist attraction with the four lion statues.
1.Which has the second longest history?
A.Trafalgar Square. B.The Tower of London.
C.Westminster Palace. D.Buckingham House.
2.What is The Tower of London noted for in the world?
A.Its strange guards. B.Its British Crown Jewels.
C.Its founder. D.Its geographical site.
3.Why was Trafalgar Square built?
A.A battle happened here. B.It could be good for tourism.
C.Admiral Nelson was horn here. D.Four lion statues had been built.
假设你是红星中学高三学生李华。请根据以下四幅图的先后顺序。用英语写一篇短文向校刊“英语园地”投稿，记述你和同学们上周组织“向白色污染说不”主题活动的全过程。
注意：词数不少于 60。
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假设你是红星中学高三学生李华。你校交换生Jim 打算寒假出京旅游，发来邮件请你推荐一座中国历史文化名城。请给他回复邮件，内容包括：
1. 你的推荐；
2. 推荐理由;
3. 食宿建议。
注意：1. 词数不少于 50；
2. 开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Jim,
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Yours,
Li Hua
Financial Education-Awareness Dilemma
When it comes to financial education, the majority of today's youth will regard it as a necessity for certain specific people who want to make their career in the financial world. 1. Actually, elementary financial education is a must for all, as money transaction is an essential part of our day-to-day life.
Suppose you have $100 in a saving account that pays simple interest at the rate of 2%per year. lf you leave the money in the account, how much will you have accumulated after 5 years: more than $102, exactly $102, or less than $102? The test might look simple, but only half of the people surveyed gave the correct answer.
2.The explanation goes as follows: People with low levels of financial literacy suffer from that lack of knowledge at every stage of their lives. Researchers on this subject say people with a high degree of financial literacy are more likely to plan for their retirement. 3.
On the contrary, people who have a lower degree of financial literacy tend to borrow more, accumulate less wealth, and pay more in fees related financial products. They are less likely to invest, more likely to experience difficulty with debt, and less likely to know the terms of their mortgages and other loans. Thus, the cost of this financial ignorance is very high. 4.
What is the solution? 5. Like reading and math, financial education must become part of the core curriculum in our schools. Likewise, parents should engage in regular, constructive conversations about money matters. This will give their kids a solid foundation for financial well-being, which will keep on giving returns throughout the course of their lives.
A. Financial education must start early.
B. However, they miss an important point.
C. Why does each of us have to face a financial challenge?
D. Why does financial literacy matter so much in our society'?
E. Rich people are generally better educated on financial management.
F. Besides, these people have more than double the wealth of people who don’t.
G. For example, they frequently make late credit card payments, overspend their credit limit, etc.
“If I only had a little humility, I’d be perfect,” the media giant Ted Turner supposedly said sometime in the 1990s. Why be modest? Aristotle said: “All men by nature desire to know.” Intellectual humility is a particular instance of humility, since you can be down-to-earth about most things but still ignore your mental limitations.
Intellectual humility means recognising that we don’t know everything. Actually, it means we should acknowledge that we're probably biased in our belief about just how much we understand and seek out the sources of wisdom that we lack.
The Internet and digital media have created the impression of limitless knowledge at our fingertips. But, by making us lazy, they have opened up a space that ignorance can fill. The psychologist Tania Lombrozo of the University of California explained how technology enhances our illusions (错觉) of wisdom. She argues that the way we access information is critical to our understanding — and the more easily we can recall an image, word or statement, the more likely we’ll think we’ve successfully learned it, and so withdraw from effortful cognitive processing. Logical puzzles presented in an unfriendly font (字体), for example, can encourage someone to make extra effort to solve them. Yet this approach runs counter to the nice designs of the apps and sites that populate our screens, where our brain processes information in a “smooth” way. What about all the information that presents online? Well, your capacity to learn from it depends on your attitudes. Intellectually humble people don’t hide or ignore their weaknesses. In fact, they see them as sources of personal development, and use arguments as an opportunity to refine their views. People who are humble by nature tend to be more open-minded and quicker to resolve disputes, since they recognise that their own opinions might not be valid.
At the other end of the scale lies intellectual arrogance. Such arrogance almost always originates from the egocentric bias – the tendency to overestimate their own virtue or importance, ignoring the role of chance or the influence of other people’s actions on their lives. This is what makes these people credit success to themselves and failure to circumstance. From an evolutionary perspective, intellectual arrogance can also be seen as a way of achieving dominance through forcing one’s view on others. Intellectually arrogant people hardly invest mental resources in discussion or working towards group consensus, thus making it hard for groups to work successfully.
The Thrive Center for Human Development in California, which seeks to help young people tum into successful adults, is funding a series of major studies about intellectual humility. Their hypothesis is that humility, curiosity and openness are key to a fulfilling life. “Without humility, you are unable to learn,” Laszlo Bock, Google’s Head of People Operations, notes.
1.The passage is mainly about ______.
A.the harm arrogance does to us
B.the key elements to a fulfilling life
C.the significance of intellectual humility
D.the way people access information online
2.Technology enhances our illusions of wisdom because it ______.
A.enables people to think critically
B.offers too much unreliable information
C.allows easy access to abundant information
D.makes it hard for people to recall information
3.According to Para.3, intellectually humble people ______.
A.value others’ opinions more than their own
B.use online information to better themselves
C.are unwilling to show their strengths
D.prefer to solve difficult problems
4.The author will probably agree that ______.
A.intellectual arrogance is the result of evolution
B.intellectually arrogant people often lack team spirits
C.successful people are often unaware of their limitations
D.circumstances don’t favor intellectually arrogant people
