GPS has completely transformed how we get around. But other animals have long had their navigation (领航) systems built right in.
“We know their eyes are quite sensitive to polarized (偏振的) light and the sky has a particular pattern of polarized light relative to the position of the sun,” Barbara Webb, a researcher at the University of Edinburgh, says.
You can see polarized light firsthand if you take a pair of polarized sunglasses and spin them against the sky-the light passing through the glasses changes. Webb says the insects have polarization like that built into their many eyes. “You can think of it as having lots of sunglasses pointing in different directions.”
But Webb was curious whether there’s really enough information in the sky to give insects an accurate sense of direction. So her team built a sensor (传感器) modeled after a desert ant eye and put it under artificial light meant to simulate the sky. They then put that sensor into a model meant to model the brains of desert ants and other insects. And they found that with the insects’ sensing and processing equipment, they can likely sense direction down to just a couple degrees of error.
A system based on that of insects could someday be a cheap, low-energy choice to GPS. Insects have very tiny brains. A brain the size of a pinhead that’s using hardly any energy. And yet they’re still able to navigate better than we can with GPS, which is surprising. Webb is now working on building a robot that can use light to get its directions.
1.What can we learn from the text?
A.GPS is not accurate enough.
B.Insects have better eyes than humans.
C.Light changes passing through polarized sunglasses.
D.Insects have tiny brains that use no energy.
2.What does the underlined word “simulate” in paragraph 4 probably mean?
A.Pretend. B.Cover.
C.Block. D.See.
3.What did Webb’s research find?
A.Insects can’t find their ways during nights.
B.Insects can find directions with little mistakes.
C.Insects always make mistakes finding directions.
D.Insects have sensing and processing equipment in their eyes.
4.Which of the following can best describe insects’ navigation ability?
A.Disappointing. B.Interesting.
C.Amazing. D.Confusing.
As the global novel coronavirus (新型冠状病毒) speeds up, many are wondering about the effectiveness of masks and when it’s appropriate to wear them. Most people from the East believe that wearing a mask is essential to control the spread of the disease. But people in the West generally would argue that, unless one is already ill, wearing a mask is simply unnecessary.
In Eastern countries like China, mask-wearing is rooted in their cultures. In fact, people in the East wear masks not just to protect themselves from illness but also for a variety of other reasons. Young people in Japan, for example, wear masks as a fashion statement, expressing their personal style through unique designs and patterns. Wearing a face mask is also an outward expression of group-centered values. With one’s face partly covered, one becomes part of a giant group. In many Asian countries, masks are worn in many conditions in daily life, such as doing housework or visiting patients in the hospital. They can give people the comfort of being protected.
In Western countries, however, individual values are the most important. It is up to the individuals to decide whether to wear masks or not. A face mask is reserved only for those showing symptoms (症状) of illness.
As a citizen, it is one’s duty to prevent the spread of illness by following proper procedures. Whether from the East or the West, social culture has played an important role in one’s decision on whether or not to wear a mask. That’s because human beings are social creatures who take into consideration what other members of society think of us. The most important thing is to respect others’ opinions, no matter how different they are.
1.What is the function of the first paragraph?
A.To lead to the topic of the text. B.To show how serious the disease is.
C.To confirm the influence of culture. D.To prove it is essential to wear a mask.
2.What is the reason why some young people in Japan wear masks?
A.They wear masks to show respect for others.
B.They want the comfort of being protected.
C.It is fashionable for the young to wear masks.
D.They wear masks to be the focus of their group.
3.What is the author’s attitude towards people’s decision on wearing masks?
A.Subjective. B.Objective.
C.Doubtful. D.Positive.
4.Where is the text most likely taken from?
A.A diary. B.A guidebook.
C.A novel. D.A magazine.
My brother and I had the typical older-sister, younger-brother relationship. He loved to annoy me and I wanted to boss him around. I am five years older so we didn’t really share friends or activities but we always got along well. That all changed in 2013 when my mom died.
Sorrow does strange things to people. My brother and I dealt with it differently. He was 18 then and put his feelings into finishing his final year of high school. I turned to drug. I’d been using a painkiller for years to help with my kidney disease and I’d never abused it. But that changed in a moment. My mother’s death took over my life. I remember swallowing a handful of painkillers and then calling a local drug dealer to bring me more pills.
My addiction progressed and I became even more irresponsible. I even risked losing my son when child protective services became concerned enough about my ability to be a good parent. I’ll never forget the fear on my brother’s face when he came to the police station. My brother was confused by my decisions. He didn’t realize addiction was a mental illness. I could see the anger and hopelessness in his eyes. Seeing him walk away from me was one of the worst feelings I’ve ever experienced.
I started treatment. As my brother saw the work I put into my recovery, he began to let go of his anger. Little by little, we repaired our relationship. I know our mother would be proud. I remember someone telling me that my mother’s death would either destroy our family or bring us closer. At first, it tore our family apart but, from ashes to beauty, I firmly believe her death and all of the hardship along the way have made us closer than ever. I am forever grateful.
1.How did the brother react to their mother’s death?
A.He lost hope for life. B.He started to take drugs.
C.He quit school immediately. D.He focused on his study.
2.Why did the author nearly lose her son?
A.She couldn’t afford to raise him.
B.He was taken away by the police.
C.She was not considered a responsible parent.
D.She didn’t want to take care of him any longer.
3.What repaired the author and her brother’s relationship?
A.Her efforts put into recovery. B.Her devotion to her brother.
C.Somebody else’s kind words. D.Good memories of their childhood.
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A.Sufferings after Mother’s Death
B.Drugs-Not a Good Way to Kill Sorrow
C.Kicking Away My Drug Addiction
D.Getting together with My Dear Brother
Looking for an extreme thriller to get stuck into? We asked our readers to tell us the best thriller they’ve ever read and why. We collected the responses to produce this list of must-read titles for your next break.
Don’t Say a Word
Don’t say a Word by Andrew Klavan. It still gives me chills (寒冷) to think of anyone doing that to my family. It also sent me searching out all of Klavan’s other novels, and he is a master of the emotionally involving thriller, so it introduced me to a lot of good reading.-Lorraine Cormack
IT
IT by Stephen King. To this day I am scared of clowns and balloons. I don’t walk in the rain. The book has put the “IT” fear in me. —Eliatha Cyprus
Those Bones Are Not My Child
Those Bones Are Not My Child by Toni Cade Bambara. The story unfolds with the disappearance of a 12-year-old boy and his mother’s tireless search to find him. Throughout the pages of the novel, Bambara enveloped me into the mind of a community turned upside-down by violence. From beginning to end , her words offered me a heartbroken picture of a family changed by tragedy and a nonstop search of America’s past. It’s a believable and urgent story about love and loss.-Helen Schulz
Tell No One
Tell No One by Harlan Coben. A doctor’s sadness over his wife’s murder transforms into tricks, then addiction, once he doubts the possibility that she might still be alive. The story had one good plot twist (翻转) after another and I couldn’t put it down, although I had things to do! It messed with my head! -Mara Evans
1.Who is the author of Don’t Say a Word?
A.Stephen King. B.Harlan Coben.
C.Andrew Klavan. D.Toni Cade Bambara.
2.What is Helen Schulz’s favor book about?
A.Love and loss. B.Justice and fairness.
C.Life and hope. D.Devotion and friendship.
3.What is the purpose of the test?
A.To educate. B.To introduce.
C.To persuade. D.To convince.
阅读下面短文，然后按要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。
Big or small, rejection affects us all. Harry Potter was rejected. So was The Twilight Saga. If authors J. K. Rowling and Stephenie Meyer hadn’t kept trying with publisher after publisher, we’d all have missed out on some great adventures.
Rejection doesn’t have to be about the big thing like not getting into your top college, not making the team, or not getting asked to the prom (舞会). Everyday situations can lead to the feeling of rejection, too, like if your joke doesn’t get a laugh, if no one remembers to save you a seat at the lunch table, or if the person you really like talks to everyone but you.
Feeling rejected is the opposite of feeling accepted. But being rejected (and we will all be at times) doesn’t mean someone isn’t liked, valued, or important. It just means that one time, in one situation, with one person, things didn’t work out.
Rejection hurts. But it’s impossible to avoid it altogether. In fact, you don’t want to— people who become too afraid of rejection might hold back from going after something they want. Sure, they avoid rejection, but they’re also 100% guaranteed to miss out on what they want but won’t try for.
（写作内容）
1. 以约30个词概括上文的主要内容。
2. 以约120个词就“How to deal with rejection”这一话题发表你的看法，内容包括：
(1) 讲述一次你被拒绝的经历； (2) 你当时的感受； (3) 你认为应该如何正确面对拒绝。
（写作要求）
作文中可以使用亲身经历或虚构的故事，也可以参照阅读材料的内容，但不得直接引用原文中的句子。
（评分标准）
概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，语篇连贯。
根据所读内容在文章后图表中的空格里填入最恰当的单词。注意：每空1个单词。
Introduction to anger
Anger is a natural reaction which comes out when we feel that we have not been given a fair treatment. The positive side of this negative emotion is that it has helped us to evolve as humans and cope in a better manner with our surroundings. However, it tends to become a problem when we fail to control it. Many a time it happens that your anger has hurt others or has spoiled one of your relationships for which you regret later. It has some bad effects on the health, too.
We should control anger so that it does not cause harm to us or to those around us whom we love. One of the best ways to control anger is to get help from others. If you feel that you are unable to manage your anger, it can make you more upset. So tell someone that is close to you, a friend or a family member, about your problem. When you discuss a matter with others, there is a better chance of finding a solution to your problem. Besides, there are no better stress relievers than humor. When you feel that it is because of stress that your anger is becoming unmanageable, you can use humor. It can help you look at difficult things in a lighter way and you will feel better about the things around you.
Anger tends to make us have a lot of negative thoughts. Therefore, we have to change the negative thoughts into positive ones. For this you have to first refuse all the negative thoughts that are in your mind one by one. This can be done with a lot of practice. Once you are successful in that, you have to maintain your focus only on the positive things of life.
Meditation (冥想) is an excellent anger management technique. In addition, what we do is disconnect ourselves from the outer world and focus all our attention into the inner world. This helps us develop a sense of controlling our thoughts that tend to cause anger.
1. | Anger is a natural reaction which comes out when we have been treated2.. | |
Positive sides | ﹡Help us evolve as humans. | |
4.sides | ﹡Hurt others. | |
Some ways to6.your anger | Get help from others | Discuss your problems with your friend or a |
Use8. | It can help you see difficult things in a9.way. | |
Think10. | Refuse all the negative thoughts and focus only on positive things. | |
Practice meditation | Help us control our thoughts which tend to cause anger. |
