People diet to look more attractive. Fish diet to avoid being beaten up, thrown out of their social group, and getting eaten as a result. That is the fascinating conclusion of the latest research into fish behavior by a team of Australian scientists.
The research team have discovered that subordinate (下级的) fish voluntarily diet to avoid challenging their larger competitors. "In studying gobies（鰕虎鱼） we noticed that only the largest two individuals, a male and female, had breeding (繁殖) rights within the group," explains Marian Wong. "All other group members are nonbreeding females, each being 5-10% smaller than its next largest competitor. We wanted to find out how they maintain this precise size separation. "
The reason for the size difference was easy to see. Once a subordinate fish grows to within 5-10% of the size of its larger competitor, it causes a fight which usually ends in the smaller goby being driven away from the group. More often than not, the evicted fish is then eaten up.
It appeared that the smaller fish were keeping themselves small in order to avoid challenging the boss fish. Whether they did so voluntarily, by restraining how much they ate, was not clear. The research team decided to do an experiment. They tried to fatten up some of the subordinate gobies to see what happened. To their surprise, the gobies simply refused the extra food they were offered, clearly preferring to remain small and avoid fights, over having a feast.
The discovery challenges the traditional scientific view of how boss individuals keep their position in a group. Previously it was thought that large individuals simply used their weight and size to threaten their subordinates and take more of the food for themselves, so keeping their competitors small.
While the habits of gobies may seem a little mysterious, Dr. Wong explains that understanding the relationships between boss and subordinate animals is important to understanding how hierarchical（等级的） societies remain stable.
The research has proved the fact that voluntary dieting is a habit far from exclusive(专有的) to humans. "As yet, we lack a complete understanding of how widespread the voluntary reduction of food intake is in nature," the researchers comment. "Data on human dieting suggests that, while humans generally diet to improve health or increase attractiveness, rarely does it improve long-term health and males regularly prefer females that are fatter, than the females' own ideal."
1.When a goby grows to within 5-10% of the size of its larger competitor, it _________.
A.faces danger B.has breeding rights
C.eats its competitor D.leaves the group itself
2.The underlined words "the evicted fish" in Paragraph 3 refer to _________.
A.the fish beaten up B.the fish found out
C.the fish fattened up D.the fish driven away
3.The experiment showed that the smaller fish _________.
A.fought over a feast B.went on diet willingly
C.preferred some extra food D.challenged the boss fish
They wear the latest fashions with the most up-to-date accessories(配饰)．Yet these are not girls in their teens or twenties but women in their sixties and seventies．A generation which would once only wear old-fashioned clothes is now favouring the same high street looks worn by those half their age．
Professor Julia Twigg, a social policy expert, said, “Women over 75 are now shopping for clothes more frequently than they did when they were young in the 1960s．In the 1960s buying a coat for a woman was a serious matter．It was an expensive item that they would purchase only every three or four years — now you can pick one up at the supermarket whenever you wish to．Fashion is a lot cheaper and people get tired of things more quickly．”
Professor Twigg analysed family expenditure(支出) data and found that while the percentage of spending on clothes and shoes by women had stayed around the same — at 5 or 6 percent of spending — the amount of clothes bought had risen sharply．
The professor said, “Clothes are now 70 percent cheaper than they were in the 1960s because of the huge expansion of production in the Far East．In the 1960s Leeds was the heart of the British fashion industry and that was where most of the clothes came from, but now almost all of our clothes are sourced elsewhere．Everyone is buying more clothes but in general we are not spending more money on them．”
Fashion designer Angela Barnard, who runs her own fashion business in London, said older women were much more affected celebrity(名流) style than in previous years．
She said, “When people see stars such as Judi Dench and Helen Mirren looking attractive and fashionable in their sixties, they want to follow them．Older women are much more aware of celebrities．There’s also the boom in TV programmes showing people how they can change their look, and many of my older customers do yoga to stay in shape well in their fifties．When I started my business a few years ago, my older customers tended to be very rich, but now they are what I would call ordinary women．My own mother is 61 and she wears the latest fashions in a way she would never have done ten years ago．”
1.Professor Twigg found that, compared with the 1960s, _________．
A.the price of clothes has generally fallen by 70%
B.the spending on clothes has increased by 5% or 6%
C.people spend 30% less than they did on clothes
D.the amount of clothes bought has risen by 5% or 6%
2.What can we learn about old women in terms of fashion?
A.They are often ignored by fashion designers．
B.They are now more easily influenced by stars．
C.They are regarded as pioneers in the latest fashion．
D.They are more interested in clothes because of their old age．
3.It can be concluded that old women tend to wear the latest fashions today mainly because _________．
A.they get tired of things more quickly B.TV shows teach them how to change their look
C.they are in much better shape now D.clothes are much cheaper than before
4.Which is the best possible title of the passage?
A.Age Is No Barrier for Fashion Fans B.The More Fashionable, the Less Expensive
C.Unexpected Changes in Fashion D.Boom of the British Fashion Industry
I had to knock on the taxi to get his attention. Finally, the driver, a man about 60, looked up from behind the wheel and apologized, “I'm sorry, but I was reading a letter.” He sounded as if he had a cold or a cough.
Since I was in no hurry, I told him to finish his letter. He shook his head, explaining that he had already read it several times and almost knew it by heart. Curious, I asked whether it was from a child or maybe a grandchild.“This isn't family，” he replied, “though he might just as well have been a regular member of the family. Old Ed and I grew up together.”
They were always friends. But since he moved away from the neighborhood 30 years ago, it'd generally just been postcards at Christmas time between them. A couple of weeks ago, Ed died. “I should have kept in touch.” He repeated this, more to himself than to me. To comfort him, I said sometimes we just didn't seem to find the time. “But we used to find the time，” he said. “Take a look.” He handed the letter over to me.
The first sentence “I've been meaning to write for some time, but I've always delayed it.” reminded me of myself. It went on to say that he often thought about the good times they had had together. When I read the part where it said“Your friendship really means a lot to me, more than I can say because I'm not good at saying things like that”， I found myself nodding in agreement.
We had gone several kilometers and were almost at my hotel, so I read the last paragraph：“So I thought you'd like to know that I was thinking of you.” And it was ended with “Your Old Friend, Tom.”
“I thought your friend's name was Ed，” I said.
“I'm Tom，” he explained. “It's a letter I wrote to Ed before I knew he'd died. I never put it in the mailbox. I guess I should have written it sooner.” His face was pale as he wiped his eyes with a handkerchief.
When I got to my hotel room I didn't unpack right away, I had to write a letter and post it.
1.Who wrote the letter?
A.Tom.
B.Old Ed.
C.The author.
D.The driver's grandchild.
2.It can be inferred from the passage that the driver regretted ________.
A.missing Ed's funeral
B.moving away from his neighborhood
C.forgetting to send Ed Christmas cards
D.not being able to keep in touch with Ed
3.From Paragraph 4, we can learn that the author of the passage ________.
A.often failed to write to his friends
B.had no intention to write to his friends
C.had many great moments with his friends
D.was good at expressing feelings to his friends
4.What message does the passage probably try to convey?
A.Comfort your friends when they are feeling down.
B.Life is unpredictable, so live each day as if it were your last.
C.Remember to always mail your letters after expressing your words.
D.Always make time to value and experience your lasting friendships.
Dear Water Use It Wisely,
More and more water is getting wasted each day. I want to help out and teach people how to conserve water. Please continue reading because your organization is very influential. I had an idea that you could send some workers from your organization to schools all around the world, and they could inform the students about water usage.
Did you know that every minute, 1,000,000,000 (one billion) tons of water falls to the earth from rainfall? We are lucky to have rainfall water. It helps fill up our lakes. There is about 326,000,000,000,000,000,000 (326 quintillion) gallons of water on Earth. Yes, this is tons, but it is getting wasted. I want to keep this number BIG.
Everyone needs water-so why waste it? I think it is very irresponsible to let the water run when you are not at home. We can use water with respect by making good choices. Take a shower instead of a bath, use an automatic dishwasher instead of hand washing. You can buy Earth Friendly Cleaner Spray, so that our drinking water will not be polluted. If your washer isn't full then don't start it. With water being wasted every day, by the time we get to the 3000's we are going to have to survive on milk and juice!!! Won't that be boring?!?!? That means we will have to give our dogs a bowl of juice instead of water with their food. I mean, come on, we're talking real life here!!
Water wasting needs to come to a stop and without delay. Water Use It Wisely, PLEASE inform people about their water usage! It plays a big role in my life. It would be really great if you take part in spreading the news about this! Thanks tons!!
An impatient fourth grader waiting for a reply,
Mya Oleksiak
1.Water Use It Wisely is most probably ____________.
A.an organization B.a person's name
C.the title of a magazine D.a government department
2.It can be inferred from the second paragraph that ____________.
A.water is not effectively saved
B.rainfall is the main source of fresh water
C.the amount of water from rainfall is increasing
D.we have 326 quintillion gallons of water each year
3.According to the passage, what is a proper way to save water?
A.Washing dishes by hand.
B.Starting the washer with a full load.
C.Feeding our pets with juice and milk.
D.Encouraging people to use cleaner spray.
4.This is basically a letter of ____________.
A.comfort B.complaint
C.appeal D.recommendation
One sunny afternoon, a seven-year-old girl went for a walk. She crossed a large area of grassland into the woods __26__ she realized that she was lost.
Sitting on a rock and __27__ what to do, she began crying. After a while. She__28__ to walk along a wide path lined with tall trees and thick bushes. __29__ it was getting dark, she saw a small, dark wooden house. She opened the door and __30__ stepped in. Suddenly, she heard a strange noise, and she ran out the door and back to the __31__. Cold and tired, she fell asleep near a __32__.
The girl’s parents were out and her dog, Laddy, was at home. Laddy __33__ that his mistrees（女主人）was in danger. He jumped __34__ a window, breaking the glass. He looked in the fields. But he couldn’t find his mistress anywhere. However, from the ground came a __35__ scent (气味) as he lowered his head. He __36__ the scent and walked across the grassland. Barking __37__ into the air, the dog __38__ through the woods until he found the __39__ . But the girl was not there, so he headed back to the woods. Much to his __40__ , he saw his mistress’ blue shirt in the distance. He __41__ over some bushes and saw the little stream, where the girl was __42__.
When she opened her eyes and 43 her dog standing beside her, the girl said, “you 44 me, Laddy,” and she kissed him several times. Seeing their daughter and dog coming back, the parents burst into tears of 45 . That night Laddy had a heror’s supper: a huge meal of steak
1.A.before B.since C.while D.as
2.A.wondering B.forgetting C.remembering D.regretting
3.A.preferred B.expected C.failed D.decided
4.A.When B.Until C.If D.Because
5.A.carelessly B.cautiously C.hopelessly D.unwillingly
6.A.trees B.bushes C.woods D.grasses
7.A.stream B.rock C.tree D.house
8.A.found B.sensed C.heard D.smelt
9.A.at B.through C.in D.onto
10.A.terrible B.strange C.pleasant D.familiar
11.A.missed B.discovered C.followed D.ignored
12.A.calmly B.loudly C.merrily D.gently
13.A.searched B.wandered C.looked D.travelled
14.A.window B.girl C.house D.hero
15.A.satisfaction B.disappointment C.embarrassment D.delight
16.A.jumped B.climbed C.walked D.flew
17.A.awake B.abandoned C.available D.asleep
18.A.spotted B.watched C.observed D.saw
19.A.disturbed B.comforted C.rescued D.scared
20.A.pain B.shock C.sorrow D.relief
The rainy weather lasted for a couple of days, completely__ our plan for picnic.
A.being ruined B.to ruin
C.ruined D.ruining
