Camels are well known for their ability to survive the hot and dry conditions of the desert,but a study suggests they once grew well in colder climates. Scientists have found fossilized(化石) parts of a leg bone belonging to a giant camel that lived in the forests of Canada's High Arctic about 3.5million years ago.
The research is published in the journal Nature Communication. Dr. Mike Buckley, an author of the paper from the university of Manchester, said, "What's special about this story is that this is the northernmost evidence of camels. "The area was warmer than today 3.5 million years ago, but the ancient giant camels would have had to face long and bitter winter, with temperatures below freezing. There would have been snowstorms and about six months of darkness.
While scientists have known for some time that camels existed in North America, with the earliest creatures dating to about 45 million years ago, they were astonished to find a species at such a latitude(纬度).
Over the course of three investigations, which began in 2006,researchers from the Canadian Museum of Nature collected 30 pieces of the leg bone from Ellesmere Island in Canada.
Their size suggested that the animal was about 30% larger than today's camels, measuring about 2.7m from foot to shoulder. Despite its size, the researchers believe it would have been similar in appearance, although it probably had a thicker coat to stay warm.
To investigate further, the team took the protein found in the bone from the fossils and modern animals. Dr. Buckley said, "The results tell us that it is a direct ancestor of modern camels. "
He said the findings provided a new insight into the evolution of this animal. "It suggests that many of the adaptations(适应) that we currently think of, in terms of camels being adapted to warm desert-like environments, could have actually originated through adaptation to quite the opposite cold, bitter environments. Camels 'humps(峰)which store fat could help get through an Arctic six-month winter. Their large eyes would have helped them to see in the low light,and their wide,flat feet would have been just as useful for walking on snow as they are on sand,"he explained.
1.What surprised the scientists when they found the giant camel fossils? ___
A.Their size. B.Their shape.
C.Their place. D.Their number.
2.According to the text, the ancient giant camels___.
A.could date to about 45million years ago
B.struggled to survive in severe conditions
C.were the first ancestors of modern camels
D.lived in an environment without light
3.Compared with modern camels, the ancient giant camels___.
A.were much taller
B.had more humps
C.were slightly stronger
D.had thinner coat
4.We can infer from what Dr. Buckley said that___.
A.giant camels had special adaptations for polar life
B.cold environments prevented giant camels developing
C.the cause of the extinction of giant camels remains unknown
D.the hard climates forced giant camels to adapt to warm environments
Each Indian(印第安人)was supposed to keep his birth name until he was old enough to earn one for himself.But his playmates(游戏伙伴)would always give him a name of their own.No matter what his parents called him, his childhood friends would use the name they had chosen.Often it was not pleasing, such as Bow Legs or Bad Boy.But sometimes a name fit so well that the youngster found it difficult to shake it off.If he could not earn a better one from a war later, he could be stuck with a name like Bow Legs for the rest of his life.
The Indian earned his real name when he was old enough for his first fight against the enemy.His life name depended on how he acted during this first battle.When he returned from the war, the whole tribe would gather and observe the ceremony in which he would be given his name by the chief.If he had done well, he would get a good name.Otherwise he might be called Crazy Wolf or Man-Afraid-Of-a-Horse.So an Indian’s name told his record or described the kind of man he was.
A man was given many chances to improve his name, however.If in a later battle he was brave in fighting against the enemy, he was given a better name.Some of our great fighters had as many as twelve names—all good and each better than the last.
An Indian’s names belonged to him for the rest of his life.No one else could use them.Even he himself could not give them away because names were assigned by the tribe, not the family.So no man could pass on his name unless the chief and the tribe asked him to do so.
Sometimes an Indian would be asked to give his name to a son who had performed a noticeable deed.I know of only three of four times when this happened.It is the rarest honor for a person—the honor of assuming(承担) his father’s name.
1.An Indian could be given the second name by__________.
A.his father B.the enemy
C.the chief of the tribe D.his childhood friends
2.The greatest honor an Indian could earn was____________.
A.a victory in his first battle against the enemy
B.a name given by the chief
C.a ceremony to get his real name
D.the right to use his father’s name
3.If an Indian had more than ten names, it meant that____________.
A.many people in the tribe liked him B.he was a great fighter
C.he had a lot of friends D.he had fought in fewer than ten battles
4.Which of the following statements is not true according to the passage?
A.The names given by the playmates of an Indian were usually not pleasant
B.The life name of an Indian was earned in battle
C.An Indian could throw away his birth name when he was old enough to earn one for himself.
D.The Indians themselves were not allowed to give their names away.
Jim was a young man in his early twenties who was studying to be a carpenter. He was a good worker, honest and worthy of trust, so his boss was pleased with him. As he was such a likable man and easy to deal with, he was popular with his workmates, too. They also made fun of him a great deal but he never got angry with them and would only laugh.
But Jim’s one great shortcoming was that he could never tell a lie, no matter how hard he tried, not even a little one. In fact, he was so honest and shy that he would blush even when he was telling the truth. He used to stand in front of the mirror and practise lying while looking himself in the eyes at the same time. But as soon as he saw his face starting to go red he had to look away.
One morning, however, he didn’t feel like going to work because he had been to a party the night before and it hadn’t ended till the early hours of the morning. And so far the first time in his life he decided to take the day off. He rang his boss, pretending to be a woman. “I’m afraid Jim can’t come to work today. He isn’t feeling very well.”
Poor Jim was thankful that his boss couldn’t see him just at that moment because his hands were trembling(发抖) and his face was bright red.
“Thank you for letting me know,” said Mr. Woods, his boss, and then just as he was about to hang up, he said, “just a moment, madam, who’s speaking.”
“Oh!” he stammered (口吃的说), and going all out for making a voice like a woman, he cried in a voice: “This is my landlady speaking!”
1.According to the passage we know that Jim was a ___.
A.skillful worker
B.skillful carpenter
C.researcher studying how to be a carpenter
D.being-trained carpenter
2.What does the underlined word “blush” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A.stammer B.look away
C.go red D.feel hot
3.Why did Jim try to practise lying?
A.To avoid being laughed at by his workmates.
B.To overcome his shortcoming.
C.To get his boss pleased with him.
D.To get ready for asking for leave.
4.At the end of the story poor Jim let the cat ____.
A.out of the bag B.out of the house
C.into the bag D.into the house
Personalized Children’s Story Book
by LOSTMYNAME
£ 19.99
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The Little Girl Who Lost Her Name series is a perfect gift for children – a series like no other. Wonderfully written and illustrated, the series uses every name to create a different story.
The series follows girls who lose their names and head off on wonderful, magical adventures, to track down the missing letters. Along the way they meet lots of strange, wonderful and wise characters, who all help in the search. For example, if the child’s name is Emily, then she’d meet a forgetful elephant, a creative mermaid (美人鱼), a brave Inuit, a misunderstood lion and a friendly yeti (雪人). Each character gives the first letter of their names, and finally, her name is found!
The series is for names between 3 and 12 letters long. If the child has a very short name, don’t worry, as we will throw in an extra story, so every book has at least 24 pages. It is perfect for children between two and six years old, though happy customers have also bought it for newborns. The books are printed especially for you, in a large double-A4 landscape format (版本) on thick, uncoated, environmentally friendly (and quite attractive) paper.
Each book’s length depends on the number of letters in the child’s name and each book has at least 24 pages.
1.What can we learn about the series?
A.It is about the life story of a girl.
B.It mainly uses pictures to tell stories.
C.Each book in it contains 24 stories.
D.It includes different stories about names.
2.Which of the following words can best describe the characters in the series?
A.Clever and helpful.
B.Terrifying and strange.
C.Funny but cold-hearted.
D.Stupid but warm-hearted.
3.Why does the author mention Emily?
A.To describe the main character.
B.To explain how a lost name is found.
C.To prove how colorful the stories are.
D.To introduce children’s influence on animals.
阅读下面短文,根据所给情节进行续写,使之构成一个完整的故事。
When I arrived at 6 a.m. in the large hospital kitchen,Rose was already checking name tags on the trays(托盘). “Hi,I'm Janet. ”I tried to sound cheerful,although I already knew Rose's reputation for being impossible to work with. "I'm scheduled to work with you this week."
Rose stopped what she was doing and peered over her reading glasses. I could tell from her expression she wasn't pleased to see a student worker. “What do you want me to do?Start the coffee?"I asked.
Rose coldly nodded and went back to checking name tags.
I filled the 40-cup pot with water and began making the coffee when Rose yelled,“That's not the way to make coffee. ”She stepped in and took over.
Nothing I did pleased her. All morning,her eagle eyes missed nothing and her sharp words hurt.
Totally exhausted,I trudged the six blocks home late that June afternoon. As a third year university student working my way through school,I had never before met anyone like Rose.
Fighting back tears,I wrestled with my dilemma alone in my room. "What shall I do?”The answer caught me completely by surprise. I needed to love Rose.
Working with Rose the next morning,I ignored the hurtful remarks thrown in my direction and did things Rose's way as much as possible. As I worked,I silently began to surround Rose with a warm blanket of love.
Over the next few days,an amazing thing began to happen. My focus shifted from what she was doing to me and I started seeing Rose as the hurting person she was. Then her icy tension began to melt away.
Throughout the rest of the summer,we had numerous opportunities to work together. Each time,she seemed truly happy to see me. Her bitterness gave way as she started opening up. As I worked with this lonely woman,I listened to her,something no one else had done. I learned that she was burdened by elderly parents who needed her care and her own health problems.
The days slipped by quickly as I finished the last several weeks of my summer job. I soon would be returning as a full-time university student and say goodbye to Rose.
注意:
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右3
2. 应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语;
3. 续写部分分为两段,每段的开头语已为你写好;
4. 续写完成后,请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
"One day,while I was working alone in one of the hospital kitchens,Rose entered the room.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
Although I never saw Rose again,I still remember her vividly.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
翻译句子
1.我写信是想申请我校英语俱乐部的志愿者岗位。(apply)
2.我对这份工作非常感兴趣,因为我想进一步提高英语口语和人际沟通能力。(interest)
3.我们应该严格遵守交通规则,看到红灯就停下来。(respect)
4.参加课外活动可以帮助我们找到更多有共同之处的人。(common)
5.人们对野生动物的保护问题深感担忧。(cocerned)