Michael Fish may soon be replaced as a weather forecaster by something truly fishier---the shark(鲨鱼).
Research by a British biology student suggests that sharks could be used to predict storms.
Lauren Smith, 24, is close to completing her study on shark’s ability to sense pressure.
If her studies prove the theory, scientists may be able to monitor the behaviour of sharks to predict bad weather.
Miss Smith had previously studied the behaviour of lemon sharks in the Bahamas.
She then used their close relatives, lesser spotted dogfish, for further research at Aberdeen University.
Her work---thought to be the first of its kind to test the pressure theory ---- resulted from the observation that juvenile blacktip sharks(黑边鳍真鲨) off Florida moved into deeper water ahead of a violent storm in 2001.
Miss Smith said: “I’ve always been crazy about traveling and diving and this led me to an interest in sharks.”
“I was delighted to have been able to research in the area for my degree. I know there’s so much more we need to understand ---- but it certainly opens the way to more research.”
It has been discovered that a shark senses pressure using hair cells in its balance system.
At the Bimini Shark Lab in the Bahamas, Miss Smith fixed hi-tech sensors to sharks to record pressure and temperature, while also tracking them using GPS (Global Positioning System) technology.
In Aberdeen, she was able to study the effects of tidal(潮汐的) and temperature changes on dogfish----none of which were harmed. She also used a special lab which can mimic(模拟) oceanic pressure changes caused by weather fronts.
She is due to complete her study and graduate later this year. She says she will be looking for a job which will give her the chance to enrich her experience of shark research.
The passage is most probably taken from _____.
| A．a short-story collection |
| B．a popular science magazine |
| C．a research paper |
| D．a personal diary |
What do we learn from the first four paragraph of the passage?
| A．Sharks may be used to predict bad weather. |
| B．Sharks’ behaviour can be controlled. |
| C．Michael Fish is not qualified for his job. |
| D．Lauren Smith will become a weather forecaster. |
Lauren Smith conducted her research by _______.
| A．removing hair cells from a shark’s balance system |
| B．measuring the air pressure of weather fronts |
| C．recording sharks’ body temperature |
| D．monitoring sharks’ reaction to weather changes |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．A popular way of forecasting weather. |
| B．A new research effort in predicting storms. |
| C．Biologists’ interest in the secrets of sharks. |
| D．Lauren Smith’s devotion to scientific research. |
I was waiting for a phone call from my agent. He had left a message the night before, telling me that my show was to be cancelled. I called him several times, but each time his secretary told me that he was in a meeting and that he would call me later. So I waited and waited, but there was still no call. Three hours passing by, I became more and more impatient. I was certain that my agent didn’t care about my work, and he didn’t care about me. I was overcome with that thought. I started to shout at the phone, “Let me wait, will you? Who do you think you are?”
At that time I didn’t realize my wife was looking on. Without showing her surprise, she rushed in, seized the phone, tore off the wires, and shouted at the phone, “Yeah! Who do you think you are? Bad telephone! Bad telephone! ” And she swept it into the wastebasket.
I stood watching her, speechless .What on earth?
She stepped to the doorway and shouted at the rest of the house, “Now hear this! All objects in this room-if you do anything to upset my husband, out you go!”
Then she turned to me, kissed me, and said calmly, “Honey, you just have to learn how to take control.” With that, she left the room.
After watching a crazy woman rushing in and out, shouting at everything in sight, I noticed that something in my mood had changed. I was laughing. How could I have trouble with that phone? Her antics helped me realize I had been driven crazy by small things. Twenty minutes later my agent did call. I was able to listen to him and talk to him calmly.Why did the author shout at the telephone?
| A．He was mad at the telephone. |
| B．He was angry with his agent. |
| C．He was anxious about his wife. |
| D．He was impatient with the secretary. |
What did the author’s wife do after she heard his shouting?
| A．She said nothing. | B．She shouted at him. |
| C．She called the agent. | D．She threw the phone away. |
What made the author laugh?
| A．His own behavior. | B．His wife’s suggestion. |
| C．His changeable feelings. | D．His wife’s sweet kiss. |
What does the underlined word “antics” refer to?
| A．Smart words. | B．Unusual actions. |
| C．Surprising looks. | D．Anxious feelings. |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中选出最佳选项。
Having good etiquette（礼节）at the workplace is very important to be a favorite in an office. However, it's observed that many people aren't aware of the workplace etiquette and this creates a very bad impression in the office. So it's important to know some workplace etiquette tips.
Among all the workplace etiquette guidelines(指南），the most important is to be punctual to your office. Though going late due to an emergency is okay, habitual late comers are never appreciated in any organization. By arriving at your office on time, you show that you're aware of your responsibilities and have respect for the organization. In case you feel that you would be late, call the concerned authority and report the matter to him or her.
Also, a proper knowledge of the workplace email etiquette is a must. In the official emails, you need to mention the subject concisely(简洁地），while at the same time include all the important details which are to be shared. You should use good and grammatically correct language while writing emails.
A knowledge of telephone etiquette in the workplace is very important as well. While talking on the telephone, be polite and listen to what they're saying carefully. Only then should you say what you feel. Speak in a voice which would be heard clearly at the other end.
The workplace guidelines are important even while you're dining or celebrating with your co-workers. If you get a call in between, receive it after you're permitted by the others by saying "excuse me". Don't talk loudly while eating. Greet people well and try to make them feel comfortable while being in your company.
These guidelines will help you become the best employee of a company. All the best!The intended readers of the passage are________.
| A．managers in charge of a company |
| B．students of a business class |
| C．people who are hunting for jobs |
| D．ordinary employees in a company |
Why should you try to be punctual?
| A．To prove you are not a habitual late comer. |
| B．To respect the rules of the organization. |
| C．To show that you are a responsible worker. |
| D．To win other workers' respect. |
How should you write an official email?
| A．Write the subject clearly and simply. |
| B．Include all the details in the email. |
| C．Make the language as beautiful as possible. |
| D．Make emails as brief as possible. |
Which of the following is considered NOT acceptable about making phone calls in the workplace?
| A．Using polite language. |
| B．Listening with patience and care. |
| C．Speaking clearly. |
| D．Answering a call whenever it comes in. |
In the writer's opinion，workplace etiquette________.
| A．is easy to master |
| B．is considered important by all employees |
| C．can be helpful in doing your work well |
| D．will bring you good luck and good salaries |
Working with a group of baboons (狒狒) in the Namibian desert, Dr. Alecia Carter of the Department of Zoology, Cambridge University set baboons learning tasks involving a novel food and a familiar food hidden in a box. Some baboons were given the chance to watch another baboon who already knew how to solve the task, while others had to learn for themselves. To work out how brave or anxious the baboons were, Dr. Carter presented them either with a novel food or a threat in the form of a model of a poisonous snake.
She found that personality had a major impact on learning. The braver baboons learnt, but the shy ones did not learn the task although they watched the baboon perform the task of finding the novel food just as long as the brave ones did. In effect, despite being made aware of what to do, they were still too shy to do what the experienced baboon did.
The same held true for anxious baboons compared with calm ones. The anxious individuals learnt the task by observing others while those who were relaxed did not, even though they spent more time watching.
This mismatch between collecting social information and using it shows that personality plays a key role in social learning in animals, something that has previously been ignored in studies on how animals learn to do things. The findings are significant because they suggest that animals may perform poorly in cognitive (认 知的)tasks not because they aren’t clever enough to solve them，but because they are too shy or nervous to use the social information.
The findings may impact how we understand the formation of culture in societies through social learning. If some individuals are unable to get information from others because they don’t associate with the knowledgeable individuals, or they are too shy to use the information once they have it, information may not travel between all group members, preventing the formation of a culture based on social learning.What is the first paragraph mainly about?
| A．The design of Dr. Carter’s research. |
| B．The results of Dr. Carter’s research. |
| C．The purpose of Dr. Carter’s research. |
| D．The significance of Dr. Carter’s research. |
According to the research, which baboons are more likely to complete a new learning task?
| A．Those that have more experience. |
| B．Those that can avoid potential risks. |
| C．Those that like to work independently. |
| D．Those that feel anxious about learning. |
Which best illustrates the “mismatch” mentioned in Paragraph 4?
| A．Some baboons are intelligent but slow in learning. |
| B．Some baboons are shy but active in social activities. |
| C．Some baboons observe others but don’t follow them. |
| D．Some baboons perform new tasks but don’t concentrate. |
Dr. Carter’s findings indicate that our culture might be formed through ______.
| A．storing information |
| B．learning from each other |
| C．understanding different people |
| D．travelling between social groups |
My first job was working for a women’s clothes manufacturer at the age of 15. It made me realize what I didn’t want to do for my future employment.
The only advantage of this job was receiving a wage at the end of the week and sometimes getting clothes for free if they were to my taste. I carried on doing this for only a year, as my studies at school were getting more serious and I wanted to study more to get the right grades.
After I had finished college, my first real job was working for a play publisher in central London. I remember writing a letter of application for the post of administration for Samuel French Limited. I had put so much effort into writing it, not realizing that this would be my first step in the process of finding out what I really wanted to do for my future employment. I didn’t think I would get the job, but as it turned out, I got a telephone call quickly and started a week later. I remember being excited that I would be working for a publisher in London. Although I had thought I would prefer to work for a book publisher, a play publisher was just as enjoyable.
Looking back now, not all first jobs turn out to be enjoyable. Some of my friends worked in supermarkets while they were at college just to earn a bit of money. I remember thinking how much happier I felt working in a clothes factory than in a supermarket.
Years later, I can see how good it is to experience work at an early age, as it gives people the opportunity to decide what kind of career will be most suitable for them one day. The boring task of a job will make a person want to pursue an education to get into the right type of employment, which was what I had realized in the end.The author did her first job for only a year because _______.
| A．the clothes made there didn’t suit her taste |
| B．she really didn’t like such a boring job |
| C．she wanted to get the right grades at school |
| D．she didn’t get well paid at the end of the week |
What can we learn about the author in the third paragraph?
| A．She was confident that she could get the first job. |
| B．She telephoned Samuel French Limited for a post. |
| C．She was aware of the importance of writing the application letter. |
| D．She used to think she would prefer to work for a book publisher. |
It could be inferred from the text that the author _______.
| A．took her first job in order to support her poor family |
| B．realized what her first job meant to her future employment |
| C．had a great interest in her first job in a clothes factory |
| D．thought her friends’ job in supermarkets was more interesting |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．My Experience in a Clothes Factory |
| B．The Qualities of a Play Publisher |
| C．Importance of Early Work Experience |
| D．The Secrets to Get the Right Grades |
There is nothing in the US quite like Black Friday. Before midnight on Thursday, in malls across the US, people start queuing up outside the locked entrances of stores, making longer and longer lines, holding coupons (优惠券), sipping coffee and hot chocolate, rubbing their hands and stamping (跺脚) their feet for warmth, excitedly chatting, and waiting for the clerks to open the door when the time arrives.
Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, which fell on Nov 28，2014, “has become in recent decades a special American holiday”, said the International Business Times. Indeed, up to 147 million Black Friday shoppers were expected to put up with the dark of night and the elbows(手肘)of other shoppers so that they could bring home some bargains, according to the US National Retail Federation.
But why does the shopping festival have such a name?
The name was first used in Philadelphia in the 1970s. The streets and sidewalks of the city became so packed with traffic and crowds on the day after Thanksgiving Day that the local police did not look forward to it. Because of this, they called the day “Black Friday”, said The Huffington Post. However, others believe that Black Friday takes its name from the fact that because of the increase in sales on the day, shops are able for the first time in the year to move out of the “red” – that is, debt – and into the “black”, or profit. Businesses, of course, try to take advantage of this day. A decade ago, retailers (零售商) opened at 5 or 6 am. Now, many of the big stores open at midnight.
People really seem to like the whole experience of queuing up before midnight, “for it isn’t just about the bargains”, noted CNN. “For many shoppers, it’s just fun to be part of a large crowd. Those who go to the malls at midnight are driven by the same thing that makes a million people get together in Times Square each New Year’s Eve.”Which of the following statements about Black Friday is TRUE?
| A．It is a special day in the US on which government hands out coupons to customers. |
| B．It is a shopping festival in the US that falls on the second Friday after Thanksgiving. |
| C．It has been a traditional American holiday since the founding of the nation. |
| D．It is an opportunity for Americans to get things they want at a much lower price. |
According to The Huffington Post, the name of “Black Friday” may be first used ______.
| A．at the beginning of the 20th century in the US |
| B．by American people who expected to bring home bargains after Thanksgiving Day |
| C．by the police to show their displeasure toward heavy traffic caused by shopping crowds |
| D．to describe the bad weather on the day |
According to the article, people who queue up for Black Friday ______.
| A．usually help each other to find good bargains |
| B．have great fun as part of the waiting crowd |
| C．have a lot of complaints about the service of the retail clerks |
| D．have to wait until 5 to 6 am to start shopping |
What is the article mainly about?
| A．The shopping habits of Americans. |
| B．An introduction to the origin and influences of Black Friday. |
| C．Tips on how to get good bargains on Black Friday. |
| D．People’s mixed feelings toward Black Friday. |