Among the dead in South Asia’s tsunami① were many tourists at Sri Lanka’s national wildlife park at Yala. But very few of the park’s animals — elephants, buffaloes, monkeys and wild cats — appear to have died. There are theories that animals can sense natural disasters and flee to safety.
First, it’s possible that the animals may have heard the quake before the tsunami hit. The underwater rupture likely produced sound waves known as infrasound② or infrasonic sound. Humans can’t hear infrasound, but many animals including dogs, elephants, tigers and pigeons can.
A second early warning sign the animals might have sensed is ground vibration③. The massive quake would have produced vibrational waves known as Rayleigh waves. These vibrations move through the ground like waves move on the surface of the ocean but faster. They travel at ten times the speed of sound. The Rayleigh waves would have reached SriLanka hours before the water hit. Mammals, birds, insects and spiders can sense Rayleigh waves. So the animals at Yale might have felt the Rayleigh waves and then run to higher ground.
But what about humans? While we can’t hear infrasound, we can feel it, although we don’t necessarily know we’re feeling it. We also experience Rayleigh waves by special sensors in our joints, which exist just for that purpose. Sadly, it seems we don’t pay attention to the information when we get it. Maybe we screen it out because there’s so much going on before our eyes and in our ears. Humans have a lot of things on our minds and usually that works out OK.
Notes:
① tsunami n. 海啸
② infrasound n. 次声
③ vibration n. 振动，颤动
Choose the best answers according to the above: Why did few animals at Yala die when the tsunamis that caused a huge number of human deaths hit?
| A．Because the animals were staying at a higher place in the park. |
| B．Because the animals were able to run much faster than human beings. |
| C．Because human beings cannot hear the infrasonic sound. |
| D．Because the animals might have picked up the danger signals and ran away. |
Which of the statements about “Ravleigh waves” is true?
| A．Rayleigh waves are massive vibrational waves that usually cause quakes or tsunamis. |
| B．Rayleigh waves move on the ocean surface at a speed ten times that of sound waves. |
| C．Rayleigh waves can be felt both by animals and human beings. |
| D．Rayleigh waves, just like infrasonic sound, can only be felt by animals. |
When a tsunami hits, it is possible that＿＿＿＿.
| A．we can’t feel the infrasound so we can’t be informed of the danger |
| B．we can feel Rayleigh waves as well as infrasound so we are able to escape the danger like animals |
| C．we were so busy with things on our minds that we feel neither infrasound nor Rayleigh waves |
| D．we think nothing of the information of its coming even though we can also get it |
What does the underlined word “that” in the last sentence refer to?
| A．Screening out the information. |
| B．There being so much going on before our eyes and in our ears. |
| C．Having a lot of things on our minds. |
| D．Paying attention to the information. |
During my review for the medical boards, I gained 101 pounds in four months and promised to exercise when all of this was over. I successfully passed the medical boards and now I have to face the music.
One morning, I woke up and decided to go to a park to start working out. I got out of bed, washed my face, brushed my teeth and put on my sports shoes. Then I headed for the park. While going there, I decided to set a goal for myself, that, I had to finish 10 rounds before I went home.
Upon reaching the park, I joined the people in walking around the park. I was enjoying every step, breathing in fresh air, appreciating the green grass and looking at the dried leaves falling from the trees while listening to my iPod.
On my 5th round, I felt tired, hungry and thirsty. I thought of giving it up, going home and sleeping again. As the idea battled in my mind, I was reminded about the goal I had set just a while ago. I kept on walking and as I looked around, I saw myself in the midst of men and women much older than me who continued to move on. Some even suffered from a stroke(中风) that had difficulty walking, some took on small steps with a cane on hand and some took on pauses before they continued their walk but still they kept on walking.
Suddenly I realized that each of us has set our own goals in our lives, such as reaching a dream, building up a career, correcting a past mistake or starting a business. The process won’t be easy. We may encounter(遇到) a lot of difficulties and obstacles that may push us to just give up.
Amazed by the men and women whom I walked with that morning, I finished my goal in the end.
Let us be inspired with the people around us who experience the same or even a greater amount of difficulty but still don’t give up and continue until they reach their goals and now are savoring(享受) their success.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 mean?
| A．Now I don’t feel like listening to my iPod. |
| B．Now I have to care more about my health. |
| C．Now I have to take physical exercise. |
| D．Now it is time for me to listen to music. |
What did the author do on his way to the park?
| A．He worked out a plan for his future. |
| B．He reflected on the causes of his overweight. |
| C．He decided to finish 10 rounds that morning. |
| D．He planned to take exercises every day. |
When the author was walking the 5th round _____.
| A．he didn’t want to continue walking |
| B．he found it easy to keep his promise |
| C．he was enjoying walking in the park |
| D．he was too tired to keep up with others |
What inspired the author to finish 10 rounds that morning?
| A．The goal he kept in mind. | B．His strong will to keep fit. |
| C．The good figure he wanted. | D．The people exercising in the park. |
Flowers only bloom(开花) when they are planted in the right soil. That is also true for me.
I first moved to Foxboro, Massachusetts, as a single mother with my baby daughter, Darcy. I was drawn to its New England beauty, friendly people and rich history. It happened that there were a lot of forsythia(连翘) bushes around the house in which I lived just like my childhood home. I joined St. Mark’s Episcopal Church where I taught the Sunday school. At church, I met my second husband, Dean. For more than 25 years, I bloomed in Foxboro, and I had another two children.
Then, when Darcy was a few years out of college, she moved to Alameda, California, to be near friends. I missed her badly. A year later my beloved husband Dean had deadly cancer. He only made it eight months. My heart was broken. Later I moved to Alameda with my children. It was a beautiful Victorian island, and I was grateful to spend more time with Darcy. I even attended a church and made a few friends there. Still, I couldn’t help but miss Foxboro. It had everything and everyone I loved.
One spring day, when I was walking by a school, something yellow caught my eyes. Forsythia bushes! They made me homesick and I kept back my tears. “I miss you, Foxboro,” I whispered. Then I went into a shop and looked at some ceramic(陶瓷的) pots lined up on a shelf. A large white one seemed to catch my attention. “That’ll be perfect in my living room,” I thought.
I turned it over to look at the price. Instead I found these words: “New England Pottery, Foxboro, Massachusetts.” A piece of artwork, from my second hometown, was right here. It was able to spread across the country and so were forsythia bushes. I took it as a sign that I can bloom, right where I am.From the text we learn that the author ____.
| A．gave birth to three children in Foxboro |
| B．planted forsythia bushes around her house |
| C．got to know her second husband at church |
| D．worked as a middle school teacher in Foxboro |
The author moved to Alameda so that she could ____.
| A．have more time together with Darcy |
| B．forget the sorrow at her husband’s death |
| C．visit her children at Alameda College frequently |
| D．enjoy the beautiful scenery on the Victorian island |
When the author saw forsythia bushes at a school she _____.
| A．wanted to buy a ceramic pot to put them in |
| B．thought of her life in Foxboro |
| C．felt they would look great in her living room |
| D．believed they were real art work |
Why does the author compare herself to flowers?
| A．Because she wanted to show she likes flowers. |
| B．Because she can live in any place that is right like flowers. |
| C．Because she moved across the country just like flowers. |
| D．Because girls are like flowers that are blooming. |
I studied engineering after enjoying top marks, as high school came relatively easy. Then university life came!
I thought that I must have some learning disorder, as it seemed that everyone else was absorbing the material and making progress while to me it was an insurmountable(不能克服的) struggle. There were never enough hours in the day and weekend to attend the lectures, study the lessons and then do the assignment.
During my darkest hour I called home to speak to my father: “Dad, I don’t think I can handle this.” My father then said something, which cut through me like a knife: “There is no returning home. If you quit, then you are on your own.”
I hung up thinking what a terrible heartless thing to say. Then, I determined to somehow gut it out(坚持到底). There seemed to be no other choices available! Soon afterwards, I noticed a sigh posted in a campus common area stating: “Studying Skills” with a place & time to meet. It said that “there is help available”. I attended that meeting! I soon discovered there were several others in a similar situation and that everyone wanted to help each other get through this challenging first term. I soon found a study partner, who helped me a lot, and I was grateful to him for his kind help.
Yes, it was still a very challenging first year, but I found the needed strength and support to get through it. In fact my father has been helping me since then, but he has done it in another way. I know now in my heart that he did the very best help he could to help me fly. Thanks Dad for the push!The story happened when the author _____.
| A．just came to the new high school |
| B．was in his first term in university |
| C．was in the last year of high school |
| D．had been in the university for one year |
What was the author’s problem?
| A．His father refused his request of returning home. |
| B．His father said some terrible words to him. |
| C．He found the course difficult to understand. |
| D．He could not understand his teachers. |
How did the author get through his challenge successfully?
| A．He got help from his father in another way. |
| B．He changed the place and time for study. |
| C．He joined those who helped each other. |
| D．He paid more attention to study. |
Which of the following is the most suitable title for the text?
| A．Differences between high school and university |
| B．My time in university |
| C．The importance of being strict with children |
| D．Push from my father |
Still waiting for little green men to make contact? Don't hold your breath.
A leading astronomer has concluded there probably aren't any aliens out there – meaning we are absolutely alone in the universe.
Even though there may be tens of thousands of other distant planets similar in size to Earth, the conditions on them are likely to be too hard to support life-forms such as ET.
Dr Howard Smith, a senior astrophysicist at Harvard University, believes there is very little hope of discovering aliens and, even if we did, it would be almost impossible to make contact.
So far astronomers have discovered a total of 500 planets in distant solar systems – known as extrasolar systems – although they believe billions of others exist.
But Dr Smith points out that many of these planets are either too close to the sun or too far away, meaning their surface temperatures are so bad that they could not support life. Others have unusual orbits which cause vast temperature variations, making it impossible for water to exist – the most important thing for life.
Dr Smith said, "We have found that most other planets and solar systems are wildly different from our own. It means it is highly unlikely there are any planets with intelligent life close enough for us to make contact." But his suggestions contradict other leading scientists who have claimed aliens almost certainly exist.
Only last month Professor Stephen Hawking said the fact that there are billions of galaxies out there made it reasonable to think there were other life-forms in the universe.
Researchers from the University of London have recently suggested that aliens could be living on as many as 40,000 other planets. But Dr Smith said: "Any hope of contact has to be limited to a relatively tiny space around the Earth, reaching maybe 1,250 light years out from our planet, where aliens might be able to pick up our signals or send us their own. But communicating would still take decades or centuries."By saying ＂don’t hold your breath＂, the author advised the reader not to _____.
| A．keep silent | B．give up | C．expect so | D．be afraid |
Dr Smith concludes there probably aren’t any aliens because other planets _____.
| A．are too far away from the earth |
| B．are different from the Earth in size |
| C．don’t have rich natural resources |
| D．don’t have a suitable living environment |
Researchers from the University of London are mentioned to show that ______.
| A．they have better explanations about aliens |
| B．aliens certainly exist on many planets |
| C．they disagree with Dr Smith’s suggestion |
| D．aliens can pick up signals from the earth |
What’s the main idea of the text?
| A．There must be other life forms in the universe. |
| B．We can communicate with aliens in decades. |
| C．The chances of finding aliens are slight. |
| D．Many other planets are quite different from the Earth. |
When creating a digital advertisement or something to promote a product or service ,music is one of the most important aspects. Whether it is simply a jingle（短歌）,musical note or any other use of sound，music can play a huge role in attracting a customer’s attention or being noticed by your target audience.
Music can work hand-in-hand with what you are advertising. Many times the advertising jingle, or saying, is what the audience remembers. Companies such as McDonald’s and Subway have used this method many times with different jingles and little sayings that are easy to remember and fun to sing along with.
Usually concepts that are part of a jingle would sound conceited(自负的) and pompous(浮夸的) when said in a normal conversation. When put to music however, and sung in a rhythm，it suddenly sounds attractive. For example, if someone said,” No one does it better than me” in a normal statement, this would sound very conceited. Add music and a tune to this statement and it becomes attractive and fun for others to sing along with.
While understanding how important music is for your advertising needs, it is also important for you to know the best way to get special music.
Having people from many different backgrounds all over the world write something specifically for you is one of the best ways to get songs written just for you. You simply choose which one you believe is best for the project. So instead of hiring a single songwriter to compose your music, you can run a contest for you advertising jingle and songwriters around the world write you a finished jingle in an attempt to win your contest.What does the passage mainly tell us?
| A．How to use music in advertising. |
| B．Advertising music can help sell products. |
| C．How to get an advertising jingle. |
| D．Advertisements are important in promoting. |
What makes concepts of an advertising jingle sound attractive?
| A．Wonderful sayings. | B．Word and pictures. |
| C．Beautiful voice. | D．Music and tune. |
According to the writer, the best way to get an advertising jingle is____.
| A．to collect works from public | B．to invite a famous singer |
| C．to get advice from experts | D．to hire a top songwriter |
What’s the advantage of your running a contest for an advertising jingle?
| A．It will save much time. | B．You can get the best works. |
| C．It will cost less money. | D．You can sell more products. |