Dolphins are universally regarded as some of the cleverest creatures in the world. In captivity ( 圈养), they can be trained to complete complex tasks such as jumping through hoops and somersaulting through the air.
But their intelligence doesn’t stop there. In a recent study of cetaceans (鲸目动物)--a group of animals that includes dolphins and whales--researchers created a list of intelligent behaviors observed in 90 different cetacean species, reported the Guardian. For example, the smartest cetaceans hunt in groups, share knowledge through mimicry (模仿) and even care for each other's children. Some even consider their behavior to be human-like.
“There is the saying that ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ seems to be true for both whales and humans,”
Michael Muthukrishna of the London School of Economics, co-author of the study, told the Guardian.
However, cetaceans don’t just use their brain power for survival. The study suggests that dolphins might even gossip. That's because some species greet each other with specific whistles, just as humans greet each other by name, the Guardian reported. Sometimes, a group of dolphins whistles the “name” of a dolphin that isn't there. Could they be speaking about their “friend” behind its back?
For the researchers, dolphin small talk is a big deal. As they found that the most social cetaceans also have the largest brains, they argue that cetacean intelligence developed to meet the demands of complex social groups.
Known as the “cultural brain hypothesis (假设),” it had only been used to explain the intelligence of humans and other primates (灵长目动物). The new study aimed to find a common pathway for the evolution of intelligence among biologically different species.
“It is interesting to think that whale and human brains are different in their structure but have brought us to the same patterns in behavior, ” Luke Rendell, a biologist at the University of St Andrews, told the Guardian.
Indeed, we still have a lot to learn about our intelligent ocean-dwelling neighbors. “We don’ t have to look at other planets to look for aliens,” Muthukrishna told the Guardian, “because we know that underwater there are these amazing species with so many parallels to us in their complex behaviors.”
1.The recent study was intended to ______.
A.learn more about intelligent creatures of the sea
B.explain the intelligence of humans and cetaceans
C.create a list of intelligent behaviors of different cetacean species
D.see whether the intelligence of different species evolved in the same way
2.The implied meaning of the underlined part in Paragraph 3 is that ______.
A.villagers have the responsibility to raise any child in the village
B.like human beings, whales even help raise each other’s babies
C.cetaceans have social behaviors very similar to human beings
D.it is not easy for one villager to take care of his or her own child
3.It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
A.it is unnecessary to look for aliens and do research into them
B.some cetaceans have the same intelligence as human beings
C.both dolphins and whales greet each other with specific whistles
D.both dolphins and whales have a lot in common with humans in behaviors
4.What is the best title for this passage?
A.Aliens living underwater B.A study of intelligent dolphins
C.Intelligent creatures of the sea D.Reasons for the intelligence of sea creatures
I became a magician by accident. When I was nine years old, I learned how to make a coin disappear. I’d read The Lord of the Rings and ventured into the adult section of the library to search for a book of spells—nine being that curious age at which you’re old enough to work through more than 1,200 pages of fantasy literature but young enough to still hold out hope that you might find a book of real, actual magic in the library. The book I found instead taught basic sleight-of-hand technique, and I dedicated the next months to practice.
At first the magic wasn’t any good. At first it wasn’t even magic; it was just a trick—a bad trick. I spent hours each day in the bathroom running through the secret moves in front of the mirror. I dropped the coin over and over, a thousand times in a day, and after two weeks of this my mom got a carpet from the hardware store and placed it under the mirror to muffle the sound of the coin falling again and again.
I had heard my dad work through passages of new music on the piano, so I knew how to practice—slowly, deliberately, going for precision rather than speed. One day I tried the illusion in the mirror and the coin vanished. It did not look like a magic trick. It looked like a miracle.
One of the lessons you learn very early on as a magician is that the most amazing part of a trick has nothing to do with the secret. The secret is simple and often dull: a hidden piece of tape, a small mirror, a duplicate playing card, diversion of the audience’s attention. In this case, the secret was a series of covert ( 暗 中 的 ) technique to hide the coin behind my hand in the act of opening it, a dance of the fingers that I learned so completely I didn’t even have to think. I would close my hand, then open it, and the coin would vanish not by skill but by real magic.
1.What book did the author intend to find in the library when he was nine years old?
A.A book teaching people how to make a coin disappear.
B.The second book of The Lord of the Rings.
C.A book on how to become a magician.
D.A book of real magic.
2.The underlined word “muffle” probably means ______.
A.clean B.punish
C.lower D.kill
3.What did the author learn from his dad playing the piano?
A.Without music, life is of no value. B.Practice makes perfect.
C.Great liars are also great magicians. D.No pains, no gains.
4.Which of the following is not mentioned as a magician trick?
A.Carrying out skillful hand moves.
B.Using real magic to create miracles.
C.Hiding some stage tools inside the coat.
D.Guiding the audience to focus on something unimportant.
Maps Special Edition, £25
This book was already popular in our children’s department and has been made even better with this special edition, which includes 16 new maps. The collection of 68 maps takes you through 58 countries and six continents. It is packed with illustrated information, which includes famous historical figures, local dishes, festivals, wild animals and landmarks. Each page is a work of art to revisit, because each time you look you will notice something new.
Doodle World Map Pillowcase, £14.99
This 100% cotton, machine-washable world map pillowcase features lots of wonderful illustrations, including animals, the seven wonders of the modern world and interesting facts, such as the first solo round the world hot air balloon, the route of the Trans-Siberian Railway and the world record migration of the humpback whale. It comes with wash-out pens so you can wash off the old design and colour it in all over again, and again. Perfect for sleepovers.
Atlas of Dinosaur Adventures: Step Into a Prehistoric World, £20
Palaeontology meets cartography in this atlas (地图册) that is perfect for any dinosaur-obsessed child. It is by the award-winning team behind Atlas of Animal Adventures and Lucy Leather land’s inky illustrations, which makes the book a joy to look at. It covers the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods and includes maps on the shifting continents and fossil finds. On every page you meet a different creature and discover its behaviours, hunting techniques, defence tactics and migration patterns.
Usborne Atlas and Jigsaw Europe, £9.99
You get two gifts in one here. This 300-piece jigsaw of Europe comes with a 32-page picture atlas, so you can see and discover the continent in more detail with the maps and learn more about the countries as you are building the puzzle. Beautiful illustrations of animals, landmarks and attractions cover every centimetre of the jigsaw, making it challenging (but not too hard) to put together for children age 5+.
1.All the four superbly illustrated atlases are perfect presents for ______ .
A.geologists B.children
C.adults D.parents
2.If a kid is obsessed by the remote past, what may he be interested in?
A.Maps Special Edition B.Doodle World Map Pillowcase
C.Atlas of Dinosaur Adventures D.Usborne Atlas and Jigsaw Europe
3.Which of the following is TRUE about these atlases?
A.All of them serve to explore the world.
B.All of them contain widely acknowledged landmarks.
C.They all have multiple purposes.
D.They are all made of unique materials.
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。
At Dana’s yard sale, Tim chose a baseball from the toys spread on the card table and asked about the price. Dana told him everything was a quarter except Nezumi, a cotton toy rat. It was grey with some cotton sticking out from the hole where an ear had been torn off.
“Nezumi is extra special, so he is ten dollars. He needs a safe new home.” Dana sighed. Tim laughed saying he didn’t have ten dollars. Dana laughed too and gave Nezumi to Tim as a free gift because he was her friend. When Tim whispered it was sort of old, Dana said old toys were the best. She then invited Tim to her birthday party the next evening, adding that her parents were giving her a real rat for her birthday. Tim was amazed and asked if it was a live rat.
“Of course.” Dana said.
At home, Tim’s mother showed him the gift she had bought for Dana. It was a knitting spool(针织线轴) shaped like a mushroom. Mom said Dana could knit a scarf for her doll. Tim sighed that Dana wasn’t a knitting kind of person but a rat kind of person. Mom laughed after knowing what had happened. Together they drove to the pet store, where Tim searched and searched and selected a clear plastic ball, one in which the rat could run around on the floor safe from cats and dogs. Tim thought of Nezumi’s ear and decided Dana’s new rat would need this ball.
The next day, Dana brought cupcakes to class. When she handed a cupcake to Tim, she asked if Tim brought Nezumi to school as Nezumi liked to ride in backpacks. Tim was at a loss because Nezumi was at home on his bed. Then Dana asked what gift he was giving her. Tim replied it was a surprise. In silence they sat for a while before he heard Dana say her parents were giving her a new bike for her birthday instead of a live rat because they thought rats would bite things.
注意:1. 所续写的短文词数应为 150 左右;
2. 续写部分分为两段,每段的开头语已为你写好;
Para 1:
At home that afternoon, Tim stared at the plastic rat ball.
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Para 2:
All of a sudden, he had an idea.
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假定你是李华，下个月要参加某外国语大学入学英语面试，发邮件向你校外教Chris请教，内容包括：
1. 口语表达；
2. 面试技巧；
3. 注意事项。
注意：
1. 词数80左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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阅读下面短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，在空格处填入一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空，并将答案填写在答题纸相应位置上。
Increasing pork production and supply will be the top priority for agricultural authorities in the following year 1. (ensure) pork production can rebound close to the level before outbreaks of African swine fever occurred, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said. Statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs show the national pork price slumped by 23 percent in November 2. (compare) to the peak level in late October. In many areas in North China, prices dropped by about 30 percent 3. below 30 yuan ($4.26) per kilogram.
Domestic pork production 4. (hit) seriously by the outbreaks of African swine fever since August last year. Total production in the first three quarters was about 32 million metric tons, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. 5. (short) in supply have resulted in rising pork prices since the beginning of the year, 6. prices have started to decline recently due to increased production. Pork is the most 7. (common) consumed meat in China, and the supply of it 8. (matter) to the nation’s food security. So, on Monday, the ministry announced it has started 9. three-month special campaign aimed at fighting legal violations 10. (involve) the buying, selling and slaughtering to ensure quality and safety of the meat and its products in the market.
