Despite the fact that it has never been seen almost everyone is familiar with the legendary
unicorn(独角兽). Descriptions of unicorns have been found dating from ancient times. The great philosopher Aristotle theorized that there were two types of unicorn--- the so-called Indian Ass and the Oryx, a kind of antelope. Unicorns are often used in the logo of a noble family, town council or university as their special sign. Even Scotland is represented by a unicorn.
According to the legend, anyone attempting to catch a unicorn had to be extremely cautious
as it has a reputation for being very fierce. A clever trick suggested by unicorn-trappers, in order to catch this magnificent beast without being hurt by its horn, was for the hunter to stand in front of a tree and then to move quickly behind it as the unicorn charged. Hopefully, the creature could then be captured when its horn was stuck in the tree.
When hollowed out and used as a drinking-cup, the unicorn's horn was said to have the power to offer protection against person. It was believed that nobody could be harmed-by drinking the contents of a unicorn's horn. Right up until the French Revolution in 1789, the French court was said to have used cups made of "unicorn" horn in order to protect the king. In addition, the horn was said to have medicinal value, so much so that it could be sold for more than ten times the price of the same weight of gold. What, then, was "unicorn" horn? We know at times the rhino(犀牛) was confused with this legendary creature. A drinking-cup supposedly made of "unicorn" horn was discovered to be made of the horn of a rhino.
| 1． |
Which of the following is TRUE of the unicorn?
|
| 2． |
To catch a unicorn, the unicorn-trappers had to try all of the following EXCEPT.
|
| 3． |
The last paragraph is mainly about.
|
| 4． |
In the last paragraph, the word "unicorn " is in quotation marks (引号)because.
|
It’s not just great minds that think alike. Dozens of the genes involved in the vocal learning that underpins human speech are also active in some songbirds(黄莺). And knowing this suggests that birds could become a standard model for investigating the genetics of speech production and speech disorders.
Complex language is a uniquely human trait, but vocal learning — the ability to pick up new sounds by imitating others — is not. Some mammals, including whales, dolphins and elephants, share our ability to learn new vocalizations(发声). So do three groups of birds: the songbirds, parrots and hummingbirds.
The similarities between vocal learning in humans and birds are not just superficial. We know, for instance, that songbirds have specialised vocal learning brain circuits that are similar to those that mediate(传达) human speech.
What’s more, a decade ago we learned that FOXP2, a gene known to be involved in human language, is also active in “area X” of the songbird brain — one of the brain regions involved in those specialised vocal learning circuits.
Andreas Pfenning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his colleagues have now built on these discoveries. They compared maps of genetic activity in brain tissue taken from the zebra finch, budgerigar and Anna’s hummingbird, representing the three groups of vocal-learning birds.
They then compared these genetic maps with others taken from birds and primates that can’t learn new vocalisations, and with maps taken from the brains of six people who donated tissue to the Allen Brain Institute in Seattle.
Their results showed that FOXP2 is just one of 55 genes that show a similar pattern of activity in the brains of humans and the vocal-learning birds. Those same genes show different patterns of activity in the brains of animals incapable of vocal learning.
“The similarities are beyond one or a handful of genes,” says Pfenning. “There are just systematic molecular similarities between song-learning birds and humans.”
“There’s potential for songbirds to be used to study neurodegeneration(神经元退变) — especially conditions like Huntington’s,” says Pfenning. Huntington’s disease affects the ability to produce complex motor behaviour, such as singing and talking, so experiments with birds might implicate particular genes in the disease.
Constance Scharff at the Free University of Berlin in Germany, who helped identify the importance of FOXP2 for vocal learning in birds agrees that songbirds can make great models for human speech and its pathologies(病理学). “My lab’s research during the past 10 years has shown that FOXP2 is as relevant for birds’ song learning as it is for human speech learning,” she says.Which of the following is WRONG according to the passage?
| A．The songbirds, parrots and hummingbirdsimitate humans. |
| B．FOXP2 is active in one of the brain regions of the songbird brain. |
| C．Songbirds have the same vocal learning brain circuits as human. |
| D．FOXP2 is a gene that is known to be involved in human language. |
The underlined word “underpin” in the first paragraph probably means _______.
| A．increase | B．support |
| C．prevent | D．decrease |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．FOXP2 was involved in human language about 12 years ago. |
| B．Six people donated brain tissue to the Allen Brain Institute in Seattle. |
| C．Experiments with songbirds are likely to help cure Huntington’s disease. |
| D．Constance Scharff discovered at the Free University of Berlin. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Birds have different genes from humans. |
| B．Humans and birds share the same singing genes. |
| C．How FOXP2 affects the brains of humans and birds. |
| D．Experiments with birds can cure the disease of humans. |
Forget the pyramids, Tahrir Square and the Nile. Egypt is ready to ditch Cairo and build a shiny new capital if the government has its way.
Fed up with pollution, traffic jams, a packed population with soaring rents, Egypt is teaming up with a developer in the United Arab Emirates to build a city in what could be one of the world’s most ambitious infrastructure programs.
The yet-to-be-named city will spread out over 150 square miles, or roughly the size of Denver, and could eventually be home to 7 million people, the developers and government announced Friday.
The current capital of Cairo, while full of history and vibrant charm, is home to more than 18 million people, and living in and getting around the city can be maddening and frustrating. The government says the idea is to reduce congestion in Cairo, which is projected to double in population in the coming decades.
An exact location was not announced, but the city is expected to be built east of Cairo. It will be closer to the Red Sea -- between two major highways -- the Suez and the Ain Sokhna roads.
The ambitions are big. In addition to the new embassies and government buildings, it plans to have an international airport bigger than Heathrow, solar energy farms, 40,000 hotel rooms, nearly 2,000 schools and 18 hospitals -- all linked together by over 6,000 miles of new roads.
But if the dream is big, the bill will be bigger.
The total cost is estimated at U.S. $45 billion, Minister of Housing Mostafa Madbouly announced at an economic development conference in Sharm el-Sheikh.
The revealing of the new capital was paired with a glamorous website showing a luxurious and technological urban view of glass towers and pools.
The plan is backed by a group that describes itself as “a private real estate investment fund by global investors focused on investment and development partnerships” led by Emirati developer Mohamed Alabbar.
Alabbar made his name as the founder of Dubai’s Emaar Properties, primarily known for developing the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.
Egypt is not the first country to plan on moving its capital from established big cities to rural greener pastures. Myanmar(缅甸) has only recently completed its move from Yangon to the new city of Naypyidaw. Nigeria moved to Abuja in the 1990’s, and Brazil carved its capital Brasilia out of the wilderness over 50 years ago.
And then there was another crazy idea of building a capital city on a square of swampland that seemed mainly to be a boondoggle for wealthy land speculators(商人) at the time.
That city? _________Egypt is ready to join hands with some experienced developers to build a new capital mainly because of the following EXCEPT ________ in the old capital.
| A．pollution and population |
| B．its location and higher rents |
| C．its long history and charm |
| D．traffic jams and crowdedness |
The underlined sentence in the passage means that it is _______.
| A．a new city with expensive infrastructure programs |
| B．a new city with beautiful glass towers and pools |
| C．an enterprising dream with abundant funds |
| D．a noble dream with rich cooperative teams |
Which city was the outcome of a crazy idea at that time?
A. Abuja. B. Brasilia.
C. Naypyidaw.D. Washington, D.C.
The Appleton Club is the focal point of undergraduate ministry in The Memorial Church. The Appleton Club provides a safe, inclusive, and welcoming space for undergraduates to grow and develop as faithful Christians as they grow and develop as intellectuals and professionals. We focus on building community through worship, study, and service, as well as through social gatherings and outings. All are welcome!
For details on all the activities of The Appleton Club, or to be added to our e-mail list, contact Epps Fellow Nathaniel Katz at nathaniel_katz@harvard.edu or 617-496-1426. You can also visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/memorialchurch.
Our life together is centered around three weekly gatherings:
Sunday Night Student Service
9:00 p.m., Appleton Chapel
Every Sunday night we gather for a “come as you are” worship service that includes the celebration of Holy Communion. The service is designed to provide a peaceful and contemplative space to find peace and encounter the divine at the start of the week. Following the service, we gather downstairs in the Buttrick Room for food and some social time together.
Wednesday Night Discussion Group
9:00 p.m., Sparks House, 21 Kirkland Street, Cambridge
Throughout the academic year we will come together during the middle of the week to read and discuss the works of the late Reverend Professor Peter J. Gomes. This spring we will continue discussing his best-selling book The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart as an entry point to conversations about what scripture is, what it isn’t, and what it means for our lives as faithful contemporary Christians of the 21st century. Food will be provided.
Friday Afternoon Social Gatherings
4:00 p.m., Sparks House, 21 Kirkland Street, Cambridge
Every Friday afternoon we gather as a community to check in and wind down from the busy week. This is our time to plan special events, service trips, and retreats, as well as a safe place to ask those burning questions about faith, theology, and scripture that you’ve always wanted to know about but have been afraid to ask.If you want to know some activities of The Appleton Club, there are at least _____ ways.
| A．4 | B．3 | C．2 | D．5 |
From three weekly gatherings, which activity is not included?
| A．Every Sunday night we hold the celebration of Holy Communion. |
| B．On Wednesday night of this spring we will discuss The Good Book. |
| C．Every Friday afternoon you can ask what you have been afraid to ask. |
| D．You can enjoy delicious food after gathering each time. |
Seventy years ago I was quite a small little girl, the baby of the family, with an older brother and sister. My father was very ill at the time, and my mother took in sewing of any kind so we could live. She would sew far into the night with nothing but dim gas mantles and an old treadle sewing machine. She never complained even when the fire would be low and the food very scarce. She would sew until the early hours of morning.
Things were very bad that particular winter. Then a letter came from where her sewing machine was purchased, stating that they would have to pick up her machine the next day unless payments were brought up to date. I remember when she read the letter I became frightened; I could picture us starving to death and all sorts of things that could come to a child‘s mind. My mother did not appear to be worried, however, and seemed to be quite calm about the matter. I, on the other hand, cried myself to sleep, wondering what would become of our family. Mother said God would not fail her, that he never had. I couldn‘t see how God was going to help us keep this old sewing machine.
The day the men were to come for our only means of support, there was a knock at the kitchen door. I was frightened as a child would be, for I was sure it was those dreaded men. Instead, a nicely dressed man stood at our door with a darling baby in his arms.
He asked my mother if she was Mrs. Hill. When she said she was, he said, "I‘m in trouble this morning and you have been recommended by the druggist and grocer down the street as an honest and wonderful woman. My wife was rushed to the hospital this morning, and since we have no relatives here, and I must open my dentist office, I have nowhere to leave my baby. Could you possibly take care of her for a few days?" He continued, "I will pay you in advance." With this he took out ten dollars and gave it to my mother.
Mother said, "Yes, yes, I will be glad to do so," and took the baby from his arms. When the man left, Mother turned to me with tears streaming down a face that looked as though a light was shining on it. She said, "I knew God would never let them take away my machine."The turning point in the story may refer to ______.
| A．a letter to the family |
| B．the time when mother comforted me |
| C．the man’s coming for help |
| D．the nicely dressed man’s trouble |
According to the text all the following are true to the man EXCEPT _____.
| A．his wife stayed in hospital |
| B．he was confused when in trouble |
| C．he had few men to turn to for help |
| D．he was a dentist |
What does mother mean by saying “I knew God would never let them take away my machine.?”
| A．God can do everything |
| B．The sewing machine is my only support |
| C．Everybody should believe in God |
| D．Never give up when in trouble |
It was Molly’s job to hand her father his brown paper lunch bag each morning before he headed off to work．
One morning, in addition to his usual lunch bag, Molly handed him a second paper bag．This one was worn and held together with staples （订书钉） 。
“Why two bags?” her father asked．“The other is something else,” Molly answered．“What’s in it?” “Just some stuff．Take it with you．”
Not wanting to discuss the matter, he put both bags into his briefcase, kissed Molly and rushed off．At midday he opened Molly’s bag and took out the contents: two hair ribbons（丝带）, three small stones, a plastic dinosaur, a tiny sea shell, a small doll, and 13 pennies… The busy father smiled, finished eating, and swept the desk clean into the wastebasket, Molly’s stuff included．
That evening, Molly ran up behind him as he read the paper．“Where’s my bag?” “What bag?” “The one I gave you this morning．” “I left it at the office．Why?” “I forgot to put this note in it,” she said．“And, besides, Daddy, the things in the sack are the things I really like — I thought you might like to play with them．You didn’t lose the bag, did you, Daddy?” “Oh, no,” he said, lying．“I just forgot to bring it home．I’ll bring it tomorrow．” While Molly hugged her father’s neck, he unfolded the note that read: “I love you, Daddy．” Molly had given him her treasures — all that a 7-year-old held dear．
Love in a paper bag, and he missed it — not only missed it, but had thrown it in the wastebasket．So back he went to the office．Just ahead of the night janitor（看门人）, he picked up the wastebasket．He put the treasures inside and carried it home carefully．The bag didn’t look so good, but the stuff was all there and that’s what counted．
After dinner, he asked Molly to tell him about the stuff in the sack．It took a long time to tell．Everything had a story or a memory．
“Sometimes I think of all the great times in this sweet life,” he thought．
We should all remember that it’s not the destination that counts in life, but the journey．That journey with the people we love is all that really matters．It is such a simple truth but it is so easily forgotten．Why did Molly give her father a second bag?
| A．She didn’t want to keep the things in the bag． |
| B．She hoped those things would bring happiness to her father． |
| C．She wanted to remind her father of the stories behind the things． |
| D．She enjoyed playing with her father． |
How did father deal with the bag after he opened it?
| A．He kept it in the drawer． |
| B．He took it back home． |
| C．He threw it into the wastebasket． |
| D．He put it on his table． |
After father heard what his daughter said, he felt_____．
| A．regretful | B．surprised |
| C．sad | D．satisfied |
Which of the following is the most suitable title of the passage?
| A．An important journey | B．Two bags |
| C．Father and daughter | D．Love in a paper bag |