Why did humans evolve to walk upright? Perhaps because it’s just plain easier. Make that “energetically less costly”, scientifically speaking.
Bipedalism—walking on two feet, is one of the defining characteristics of being humans, and scientists have debated for years how it came about. In the latest attempt to find an explanation, researchers trained five chimps(黑猩猩)to walk on a treadmill(跑步机)while wearing masks that allowed measurement of their oxygen consumption. The chimps were measured both while walking upright and while moving on their legs and knuckles(膝关节).That measurement of the energy needed to move around was compared with similar tests on humans and the results are published in this week’s online edition of “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences”.
It turns out that humans walking on two legs use only one-quarter of the energy that chimps use while knucklewalking on four limbs(肢).And the chimps, on average, use as much energy using two legs as they did when they used all four limbs.
However, there were differences among chimps in how much energy they used, and this difference corresponded to their different manner of walking and anatomy(解剖构造).One of the chimps used less energy on two legs, one used about the same and the others used more, said David Raichlen, assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Arizona.
“What we were surprised at was the variation(变异) ”, he said in a telephone interview. Interview. “That was pretty exciting, because when you talk about how evolution works, variation is the bottom line, without variation there is no evolution.”
Walking on two legs freed our arms, opening the door to drive the world, said Raichlen. “We think about the evolution of bipedalism as one of first events that led hominids(原始人)down the path to being humans.”
The research was supported by the National Science Foundation and the L.S.B.Leakey Foundation. The underlined word “Bipedalism” in Paragraph 2 probably means____.
| A．moving sideways | B．walking upright |
| C．walking on four legs | D．running fast |
We can infer from the passage that____.
| A．scientists have no idea on how humans’ walking on two legs came about |
| B．scientists have had different views on why chimps walk on four legs |
| C．scientists have had different views on how humans’ walking on two legs vame about |
| D．scientists have had similar views on how humans’ walking on two legs came about |
What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?
| A．How chimps saved energy. |
| B．Why chimps didn't walk on two legs. |
| C．David Raichlen studied chimps. |
| D．Different chimps consumed different energy. |
According to the passage, humans walk upright in order to____.
| A．conserve energy | B．differ from other animals |
| C．free their brains | D．strengthen their legs |
Soup on my nose, a nearly spilled glass of wine and chocolate down my white blouse, as blind dates suggest, this was a really messy one. I have never made so much noise with plates and glasses, nor had I dined with a never-before-met companion. This blind date was quite different: we could see nothing. "Put your left hand on my shoulder, and then we'll take small steps forward," said Michael, the visually impaired(视力障碍的) server, in an East London accent. We three felt our way carefully bumping past heavy curtains before being arranged at the dining table, where we would eat and drink three completely secret and unseen courses.
Welcome to Alchemy in the Dark, Hong Kong's first full-time restaurant in total darkness. Upon arrival, diners briefly tell the chef on their allergies(过敏性反应), lock away their mobile phones and enter the windowless restaurant, which can seat 25. When the meal is over, the contents of the delicious menu are shown --- often to the diners' surprise. "This is definitely duck," my friend said, while eating chicken. "This soup," I declared, "is carrot and coriander." Even the too-close smell did not reveal the real tomato and cumin flavors. Dining in the dark changes everything: the sense of smell is heightened, manners go out of the window ----using your hands to feel around the plate becomes normal--- and there is a strange thrill in being able to ignore your facial expressions. Best of all? You don't have to spend hours beforehand(事先) wondering what to wear.
Alchemy in the Dark is at 16 Arbuthnot Road, Central, (tel: 6821 2801) and is open Monday to Saturday, from 7pm to 11pm. Reservations are required. A three-course meal with wine pairing costs HK$700 per person. Five per cent of all profits go to the Hong Kong Society for the Blind.How did the author and her companion arrive at their dining table?
| A．By using a map |
| B．By being led |
| C．By feeling their way. |
| D．By finding it by themselves |
According to passage, which of the following is true?
| A．The diners might eat what they are allergic to. |
| B．The author enjoyed a special lunch at Alchemy in the Dark. |
| C．The restaurant donated some money to the H. K Society for the Blind. |
| D．The diners aren’t allowed to take phones to the restaurant at any time. |
From the passage we can learn that the author ___________.
| A．had the table booked |
| B．shared the meal with a friend. |
| C．practiced how to eat in total darkness. |
| D．chose her clothes in advance for the meal. |
The last paragraph is intended to ____________.
| A．present some facts about eating in the dark. |
| B．inform what to do at Alchemy in the Dark |
| C．conclude the experience of eating at Alchemy in the Dark. |
| D．provide some information about Alchemy in the Dark. |
B
Last night, on my way home I stopped because of being attracted by some hamburgers at a fast food restaurant. On my way in, a homeless man approached me and asked, “Do you have any bottles lying around?” I knew he would recycle them for a few cents, but I didn’t have any, so I said no. And again he asked, “Can you spare some change ?” I smiled, and said no again. He was very respectful; he smiled back and said, “OK, thank you.” Even though he didn’t have anything, he was still in good spirits. From the way he spoke I could tell he was smart.
Then I bought one hamburger and enjoyed my meal, but in the back of my mind I wondered whether the homeless man was hungry. After I finished my meal I decided to order another one for him. At this point I didn’t know if he was still around, but I tried anyway.
At the counter I ordered a hamburger and also a hot chocolate, because it was cold outside, and I thought it would help warm him up. They delivered me the hot chocolate first and as I waited for my hamburger, I noticed the homeless man was standing right beside me. I looked at him and smiled, “This hot chocolate is for you.” He replied like a gentleman, “Thank you so much. That’s very kind of you.”
I always believe no matter how hard up I am, there are always those who are worse off than I. When you help someone, it’s not always about money, it’s about love. The love you give today, someone might forget tomorrow. It doesn’t matter. Love anyway, because the greatest thing you can give is love.What does the underlined phrase mean according to the passage?
| A．Rich in money. | B．Short in money. |
| C．Generous. | D．Selfish. |
We can learn from the first two paragraphs that the author _____.
| A．was angry with the homeless man |
| B．was an old friend of the homeless man |
| C．decided to help the homeless man after his meal |
| D．finished his meal quickly to help the homeless man |
We can infer from the text that the homeless man was _____.
| A．old and sick | B．polite and friendly |
| C．sad and nervous | D．calm and confident |
.The author wants to tell us that _____.
| A．love cannot be forced |
| B．money cannot buy everything |
| C．there is always someone that we can help |
| D．we shouldn’t forget those who once helped us |
Do you want to help others—but don’t know where to start? Do you feel that the challenges facing us are too big for one person? One advantage of supporting the American Red Cross is that each of our individual contributions is magnified(放大)when we all join together.Another advantage is that it's easy to start helping.You can start this every minute, by using your mobile to send a text message to make a $10 donation to one of our ongoing campaigns.
Donate to Help Victims of Natural Disasters: Text REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10 to American Red Cross Disaster Relief, which helps people affected by disasters such as floods, earthquakes, wildfires and hurricanes.
Please consider making a donation today to help the thousands of people who have been affected by these disasters.
Donate to Help Reduce Deaths from Measles(麻疹): Text PREVENT to 90999 to give $ 10 to the Red Cross and help us vaccinate（注射疫苗）children against measles.
Started in 2001.the Measles & Rubella Initiative—led by the American Red Cross， provides technical and financial support to governments and communities for mass vaccination campaigns around the world.The Initiative has supported the vaccination of more than 1 billion children helping to reduce measles deaths by 78％globally(compared to 2000).
Please consider making a donation today to help us continue this campaign.To learn more visit www.Measlesrubellainitiative.org.
Important Information for Text Donors: You can make a $ 10 donation to the American Red Cross.Charges will appear on your wireless bill.All purchases must be authorized by account holder.You must be over 18 years old or have parental permission to participate.Text STOP to 90999 to STOP.Text HELP to 90999 for HELP.The text mainly aims to tell us_____________.
| A．how to keep our wireless bill safe when making donation |
| B．how to make a $10 donation by text message |
| C．when to become an authorized account holder |
| D．how to make individual contributions magnified |
We should text_______to 90999 if we want to help victims of natural disasters.
| A．STOP | B．PREVENT | C．HELP | D．REDCROSS |
.What does “this campaign” in Paragraph 6 refer to?
| A．Offering help to the disaster victims. |
| B．Supporting the American Red Cross. |
| C．Mass vaccination around the world. |
| D．Applying for charges on wireless bills. |
1f a school boy wants to be a text donor, he should _____________.
| A．get the permission of his parents |
| B．reach the marriage age |
| C．pay ＄10 to own an account |
| D．stop his daily purchases |
A California man who was feeling sick almost died recently from a shocking cause.
26-year-old Luis Ortiz went to a hospital because of a headache and nausea(恶心，作呕). When doctors examined him, they were shocked to find a tapeworm larva(绦虫幼虫) in his brain. The story gets stranger. The larva was still alive.
The creature had caused a cyst(囊肿) to form inside his head. The cyst was restricting the flow of liquids to different areas of his brain. The situation was so serious that doctors said they had to perform an emergency operation to remove the larva.
A doctor who operated on Ortiz told him he had only 30 minutes to live. When the doctor pulled the worm out of his head, it was still moving.
Luis Ortiz was a student at California State University in Sacramento. He began experiencing headaches in late August. But Ortiz said he did not think the headaches were serious.
In September, he visited a friend and his parents in another city. That is when the pain got worse. His mother saw Ortiz throwing up and took him to a hospital emergency room.
The doctors saved Ortiz's life. However, the surgery also affected him. Ortiz had to drop out of school and move back home. For now, he is not permitted to work or drive a vehicle.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the U.S. has about 1,000 reported cases of tapeworms each year. The CDC adds that tapeworms are more common in developing countries with poor public health systems.
The best way to avoid a tapeworm infection (感染)is to wash fruits and vegetables. Also, make sure meat is cooked thoroughly. The CDC suggests cooking all meats to an internal temperature of at least 63 degrees Celsius.What caused Luis Ortiz to feel sick and headaches?
| A．Dirty food eaten in August. |
| B．Travelling for a long way, |
| C．A living creature in his brain. |
| D．Uncooked meat eaten by him. |
If the doctors didn’t have an emergency operation on him , Luis Ortiz was likely to ________ _ .
| A．die of cancer |
| B．live for only half an hour |
| C．finish studying in school |
| D．pass the driving tests |
How should people avoid infecting tapeworms?
| A．By washing fruits and vegetable. |
| B．By boiling plates and bowls before meals. |
| C．By cooking meats to at least 63 °C outside, |
| D．By improving the development of economy. |
What did the writer think of the cause of Luis Ortiz’s disease?
| A．Quite frightening. | B．Very dangerous. |
| C．Rather puzzling. | D．Extremely surprising. |
The stories we share with one another are important.They show wisdom and provide inspiration.They are important to our development.But sometimes people choose not to tell.
Consider the negative effects of not sharing a story in the news: People are wondering if public health officials are holding back too much information about the recent outbreak of Ebola.
There is a danger in holding back stories that ought to be told. Bobette Buster said it like this, “The fact is, history has shown us that stories not told can become like a dangerous genie (妖怪) left in a bottle. When they are finally uncorked, their power to destroy is set free.”
There are a number of reasons why we hide parts of our story: they often show our weaknesses or expose our disadvantages; they require courage and strength to share; and of course, there are some stories that should be kept secret—especially those that embarrass someone else.
Most of us have two selves: the one we display on the outside and the one we actually are on the inside. And the better we get at hiding the stories that show our true selves, the more damage we may be causing to ourselves and to others.
Honesty and openness is important: It proves we are trustworthy. It displays we are human. We are not perfect or better.It highlights the importance of hard work and personal development. Hard work may not allow us to overcome our disadvantages completely. But with hard work, we do not have to be restricted to our mistakes.
Does this mean we admit every weakness, every disadvantage, and every secret regret to everybody we meet? No, of course not. There is a time and a place and a certain level of relationship necessary for some stories to be told in an appropriate manner.What’s the function of the example in Paragraph 2?
| A．It reflects that people are concerning about the spread of Ebola. |
| B．It shows the bad effect caused by sharing a story. |
| C．It proves not sharing a story can cause trouble. |
| D．It concludes that one should share a story at a proper time. |
One of the reasons why people are unwilling to share experiences is that _______.
| A．story-sharing highlights the importance of hard work |
| B．people are used to exposing their weaknesses |
| C．people sometimes have no courage to share their stories |
| D．some stories make themselves feel uneasy |
Which is close in meaning to the underlined word “uncorked” in Paragraph 3?
| A．freed | B．broken | C．unfolded | D．untouched |
The writer aims to convince us to _______.
| A．be open to people close to you by sharing some secrets |
| B．share stories appropriately for the good of others and ourselves |
| C．remove the dangers that can be caused by untold stories |
| D．realize the importance of being honest when making friends |