Young sunflowers turn and swing every day. New findings add to evidence that the plants are animal-like.
Harmer, a professor in the University of California at Davis, Department of Plant Biology, carried out a series of experiments on sunflowers in the field, in pots outdoors and in indoor growth chambers.
By staking plants so that they could not move, Harmer showed that he could destroy their ability to track the sun. He also noticed that sunflowers prevented from moving were not as tough and leafy as those that were free to move. When plants were moved indoor with a settled overhead light, they continued to swing back and forth for a few days.
The indoor plants did start tracking the “sun” again when the apparent source of lighting was moved across the room. The plants could reliably track the movement and return at night when the artificial day was close to a 24-hour cycle, but not when it was closer to 30 hours.
When sunflowers track the sun, the east sides of their stems grew more rapidly than the west sides. At night, the west sides grew faster as the stem swung the other way. The team identified a number of genes that were expressed at higher levels on the sunward side of the plant during the day or on the other side at night. A plant growth-regulating hormone (激素), called auxin, appears to be a key driver.
The “dance” to the sun cycle obviously slows when the sunflower matures (成熟) and its flowers open up. At that point, the plants stop moving during the day and settle down facing the sun in the east.
“Bees like warm flowers.” Harmer said, adding that the bees are cold-blooded, so landing on a warm flower saves them energy and perhaps feels really good.
“The morning warmth changes the flowers in a way to make them more appealing to insects, perhaps causing them to release more attractive scents earlier in the day.” he said “We’re currently testing this idea.”
1.Why did Harmer do the experiment on sunflowers?
A.To see how sunflowers grow up.
B.To show what sunflowers’ genes are.
C.To study why sunflowers track the sun.
D.To check if sunflowers swing in cloudy days.
2.What does the underlined word “staking” probably mean in Paragraph 3?
A.Tracking. B.Fining.
C.Growing. D.Searching.
3.What is the result of sunflowers being stopped from moving?
A.They will produce a number of new genes.
B.They will grow faster than usual.
C.They won’t swing back though set free.
D.They won’t grow well.
4.What is the advantage of sunflowers’ dance to the sun?
A.They attract more insects. B.They save more energy.
C.They mature more rapidly. D.They produce more flowers.
Every man wants his son to be somewhat of a clone, not in features but in footsteps. As he grows you also age, and your ambitions become more unachievable. You begin to realize that your boy, in your footsteps, could probably accomplish what you hoped for. But footsteps can be muddied and they can go off in different directions.
My son Jody has hated school since day one in kindergarten. Science projects waited until the last moment. Book reports weren’t written until the final threat.
I’ve been a newspaperman all my adult life. My daughter is a university graduate working towards her master’s degree in English. But Jody? When he entered the tenth grade he became a “vo-tech” student (技校学生). They’re called “motorheads” by the rest of the student body.
When a secretary in my office first called him “motorhead”, I was shocked. “Hey, he’s a good kid, ” I wanted to say. “And smart, really.”
I learned later that motorheads are, indeed, different. They usually have dirty hands and wear dirty work clothes. And they don’t often make school honor rolls (光荣榜).
But being the parent of a motorhead is itself an experience in education. We who labor in clean shirts in offices don’t have the abilities that motorheads have. I began to learn this when I had my car crashed. The cost to repair it was estimated at $800. “Hey, I can fix it,” said Jody. I doubted it, but let him go ahead, for I had nothing to lose.
My son, with other motorheads, fixed the car. They got parts from a junkyard, and ability from vo-tech classes. The cost was $25 instead of $800.
Since that first repair job, a broken air-conditioner, a non-functioning washer and a non-toasting toaster have been fixed. Neighbours and co-workers trust their car repairs to him.
These kids are happiest when doing repairs. They joke and laugh and are living in their own relaxed world. And their minds are bright despite their dirty hands and clothes.
I have learned a lot from my motorhead: publishers need printers, engineers need mechanics, and architects need builders. Most important, I have learned that fathers don’t need clones in footsteps or anywhere else.
My son may never make the school honor roll. But he made mine.
1.What used to be the author’s hope for his son?
A.To avoid becoming his clone. B.To resemble him in appearance.
C.To develop in a different direction. D.To reach the author’s unachieved goals.
2.What can we learn about the author’s children?
A.His daughter docs better in school.
B.His daughter has got a master’s degree.
C.His son tried hard to finish homework.
D.His son couldn’t write his book reports.
3.The author let his son repair the car because he believed that .
A.his son had the ability to fix it B.it would save him much time
C.it wouldn’t cause him any more loss D.other motorheads would come to help
4.What did the author realize in the end?
A.It is unwise to expect your child to follow your path.
B.It is important for one to make the honor roll.
C.Architects play a more important role than builders.
D.Motorheads have greater ability than office workers.
When you’re having a hard time with your homework or when you’re preparing for your term paper, these student-focused websites can help you with just about anything you need. The key to getting the most out of these online resources is to know how they can best be used to your advantage.
Although Facebook can be one of your biggest time-wasters and distractions when you are supposed to be getting work done, it can also be one of your most valuable resources. Most of your classmates will probably have a Facebook account, so anyone you need to connect with about a class you missed or about a problem is usually just a few clicks away.
SparkNotes
With a free library of history timeline, philosophy study guides and library summaries, SparkNotes has covered just about any reading-related jam you find yourself in. Just run a search for the book, play, or short summary of the material you are supposed to read.
Amazon.com
Do you finish every term with many expensive textbooks you will never open again? Instead of letting the money spent go to waste, get back some of your cash by selling your books on Amazon.
RateMyProfessors.com
Choosing new classes can sometimes be like trying to pick out your clothes in the dark, a total guessing game. Which teacher gives out the hardest problem sets? How much homework will that history professor give you every week? At RateMyProfessors.com, students all over the country rate their professors on quality, helpfulness, and how hard their classes are.
Wikipedia
While Wikipedia isn’t aimed specifically at students, it is difficult to think of another website that does more to reduce the pain of paper writing and researching. Wikipedia gives you a quick way to find sources and get the details of almost any topic you need to research — all without walking to the library.
1.The passage was mainly written to ________.
A. explain some websites for parents
B. compare some educational websites
C. offer some websites that may help students
D. introduce different parts of a website
2.While you are taking great pains to write a research report, ________ can most probably be a help.
A. Facebook B. Wikipedia C. Amazon.com D. SparkNotes
3.RateMyPorfessors.com is a place ________.
A. where you can make friends all over the country
B. that gives you information about professors in advance
C. where you can communicate with your professors
D. that gives tips on how to get along with your professors
4.Which of the following will you most probably refer to, if you need brief ideas for class discussion in reading?
A. Wikipedia. B. Facebook. C. SparkNotes. D. Amazon.com.
My son Tom taught me a beautiful lesson today. He is three years old and it is amazing hatching him grow up.
He called out to me today saying, “Papa, sit”. That usually means _______ everything and going next to him and sitting down to play with him. I did that, as he can be _______ and will not stop calling out until I _______. He was playing with beads (珠子), pushing a string through them, which is a great exercise to help _______ fine motor skills. Then, after he finished playing with the beads, it was time to put them back in the box that they are stored in. I saw him _______ pick up each bead, look at it _______ it were made of chocolate and then placed it into its box.
With over a hundred beads to go, I was getting _______. “What a long time it will take! Why cannot he _______ ten beads in one go and drop them in?” said my anxious mind. I noticed that he did this with as much_______ as he had while we were playing. I didn’t see any ________ between his play and his putting away the toy. Obviously he enjoyed both.
Then it suddenly ________ me that this boy was enjoying the whole ________. The journey was his goal. For him the ________ was in the game and after the game, not just in the fun part. What a great perspective: to live each moment as it is the ________ moment; to do each task as it is the most awesome task. Nothing else ________.
Looking at how ________ my son was putting beads into the box ________ me that the process was the goal. The joy of pilgrimage (朝圣) is not in getting there but in every ________ of the journey.
This is what living in the NOW is all ________. Tom, my son, was showing me that it was about thoroughly enjoying every moment with ________ love and peace.
1.A.wasting B.leaving C.taking D.preparing
2.A.stubborn B.innocent C.helpful D.humorous
3.A.fell down B.turned round C.burst out D.gave in
4.A.highlight B.develop C.illustrate D.identify
5.A.gratefully B.eagerly C.carefully D.quickly
6.A.as if B.even though C.in case D.in that
7.A.fascinated B.satisfied C.impatient D.energetic
8.A.package B.grab C.deliver D.replace
9.A.confidence B.strength C.inspiration D.involvement
10.A.sense B.difference C.need D.value
11.A.excited B.helped C.struck D.encouraged
12.A.process B.morning C.experiment D.design
13.A.victory B.challenge C.difficulty D.pleasure
14.A.urgent B.decisive C.perfect D.dangerous
15.A.matters B.happens C.disappears D.works
16.A.successfully B.peacefully C.responsibly D.systematically
17.A.guaranteed B.warned C.promised D.taught
18.A.plan B.destination C.step D.detail
19.A.for B.with C.about D.from
20.A.complete B.available C.additional D.precious
25 people were killed and 50 injured on Wednesday in a train accident in Cairo, which surprised local people. According to the BBC, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli visited the scene and he said 1. cause was not yet known, but Egypt's police were conducting an investigation (进行调查) 2. (find) the reason of the accident. Egypt had one of the 3. (old) and largest rail networks, and crashes and other accidents were common.
The beautiful canola (油菜) flowers in spring attracted a large number of visitors to Hanzhong, a city in the south of western Shaanxi province. The city’s 9th annual canola flower festival 1. (start) on March 13 and ended on May 1, 2018. There were more than 600 square kilometers of canola fields in Hanzhong, 2. created unique scenery. About 50 observation spots 3. (design) for the tourists throughout the city.
