The coyote (丛林狼), that clever animal of wide-open spaces, has come to the nation’s capital. In fact, coyotes have spread to every corner of the United States, changing their behaviors to fit new environments and causing researchers to deal with a troublesome new kind of creature: the city coyote.
The coyote originally lived in the middle of the continent. One of its most obvious characters is its smartness, which has made the animal a notorious (臭名昭著的) pest. Hunters trapped, shot and poisoned more than a million coyotes in the 1900s. It’s still one of America’s most hunted animals. Yet the coyote has survived. How has the coyote shown this extraordinary ability? “I guess if you wanted to use one word, it’d be ‘plasticity’,” says Eric Gese, an expert at Utah State University. Coyotes can live alone, in pairs, or in large packs like wolves; hunt at night or during the day; occupy a small region or an area up to 40 square miles; and live on all sorts of food, from lizards (蜥蜴) and shoes, to ants and melons.
Unbelievably people helped coyotes increase when they killed most of the wolves in the United States. The spreading of coyotes into city areas, though, is recent. They travel at night, crossing sidewalks and bridges, running along roads and ducking into culverts (钻入涵洞) and underpasses. No one knows why coyotes are moving into cities, but experts explain that cleverer, more human-tolerant (不怕人的) coyotes are teaching urban survival skills to new generations.
Occasionally, coyotes might attack human beings. There have been about 160 attacks on people in recent years. Therefore, people have been consistently told not to feed coyotes or leave pet food unsecured. That, plus a large trapping program in the neighborhood, has cut down on the coyote population.
63. The underlined word “plasticity” in Paragraph 2 refers to _____.
A. the ability to fit the environment B. notorious smartness
C. hunting ability D. being human-tolerant
64. The aim of the passage is to _____.
A. tell people how to fight against coyotes
B. tell us why the coyote is the most hunted animal
C. supply the reason why the coyote is a kind of notorious pest
D. explain how the coyote has spread to and survived in cities
65. According to the passage, coyotes _____.
A. originally lived in the west of the continent
B. sleep during the day but look for food at night
C. are teaching survival skills to their younger generations
D. suffered a population decrease because people killed wolves
66. According to the passage, to cut down the coyote population, people should ____________.
A. leave pet food secured B. keep coyotes in small regions
C. force coyotes to live alone D. avoid using trapping programmes
It takes less than six seconds to leave a first impression. It is said that we ought not judge a book by its cover, but come on, isn’t it the color, the design, the layout, and the title that draw us to pick up a book we’ve never heard of before? Notice what your assumptions are about a person when you are first introduced to her or him.
Something that most of us don’t take notice of is how we stand or walk. Let’s say you are going for a job interview. Within seconds you have already said a lot about yourself by the way you walk. The majority of us walk around everyday without paying any attention to what we are saying even though we are not uttering a word. There is a lot that can be said about body language from the clothes you wear to the gestures you make.
I took notice of this topic recently as I recalled something about changing my posture to improve my level of confidence. I was about to venture on a new project, which would take me out of my comfort zone. My gremlins (小精灵) were having a field day with me uttering all kinds of reasons why I couldn’t do a good job with this new opportunity. I tucked in my tummy (收缩肚子) , put my shoulders back , held my head high , and took a walk. Soon thereafter, I felt so much better. I approached the project with new possibility. Wow, what a difference ! Try it !
The ability to capture your audience when you walk into a room is sure to start you off on the right foot when going on an interview. Non-verbal signals have five times the impact of verbal (言语的)signals. So you can count on losing your audience when you walk in with head down dragging your feet regardless how much you try to change it.In the first paragraph the author intends to tell us .
| A．we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover |
| B．a person’s appearance can be misread |
| C．the first impression really means a lot |
| D．we should focus more on a person’s qualities |
The author approached his project with new possibility after .
| A．his gremlins stopped talking |
| B．he got rid of all his negative thoughts |
| C．he walked out of his comfort zone |
| D．he changed his posture to improve his confidence |
According to the author , when we go for a job interview , we .
| A．shouldn’t say a lot about ourselves |
| B．shouldn’t walk with our head high up |
| C．should pay enough attention to our body language and gesture |
| D．should only pay attention to the way we walk within the first few seconds |
The author probably believes that .
| A．non-verbal signals are more important than verbal signals |
| B．non-verbal signals are not so easy to catch |
| C．we mainly rely on verbal signals during an interview |
| D．we shouldn’t pay too much attention to our non-verbal signals |
What is mainly talked about in the passage?
| A．How to prepare for a job interview |
| B．The way we walk says a lot about us. |
| C．How to read a person from the way he walks. |
| D．How complicated body language is. |
Many women write to me perplexed(困惑的)about why they can’t form close friendships. They try new approaches, put themselves in all the right places, see therapists, and read relevant self-help books. They consider themselves interesting, loyal, kind and friend-worthy people. But for reasons unknown to them, they have a tough time forming intimate relationships. Many admit to not having even one close friend.
A recent study published in the Journal of personality and Social Psychology offers some clues as to how both nature (personality) and nurture (experience) impact our friendships. Researchers at the University of Virginia and University of Toronto, Mississauga studied more than 7,000 American adults between the ages of 20 and 75 over a period of ten years, looking at the number of times these adults moved during childhood. Their study, like prior ones, showed a link between residential mobility and adult well-being: The more times participants moved as children , the poorer the quality of their adult social relationships.
But digging deeper, the researchers found that personality—specifically being introverted (内向的) or extroverted (外向的) — could either intensify of buffer (缓冲) the effect of moving to a new town or neighborhood during childhood. The negative impact of more moves during childhood was far greater for introverts compared to extroverts.
“Moving a lot makes it difficult for people to maintain long-term close relationships,” stated Dr. Shigehiro Oishi, the first author of the study, in a press release from the American Psychological Association, “This might not be a serious problem for outgoing people who can make friends quickly and easily. Less outgoing people have a harder time making new friends.”
Families often have to relocate — across town, across the country, or across the globe. Yet, in many cases, their kids and young adolescents haven’t yet built up a bank of friendships. So the conventional wisdom is to try to minimize moves for the sake of your child, whenever possible , and to move at the end of the academic year.The passage is written mainly to .
| A．offer advice to women on how to form intimate relationships . |
| B．explain how nature and nurture impact our friendships. |
| C．explain how moves during childhood affect children. |
| D．tell us how to help children make friends. |
Which of the following is true according to the second paragraph?
| A．People who moved less during childhood have better social relationships. |
| B．The more people moved during childhood, the more friends they have. |
| C．The more people moved during childhood, the better they adjust to society. |
| D．There is no link between residential mobility and adult well-being. |
In order for children to maintain long-term close relationships , parents .
| A．should not relocate their homes |
| B．should relocate their homes within the town |
| C．had better move at the end of school year |
| D．had better move when their children couldn’t build up a bank of friendships |
We learn from the fourth paragraph that moves during childhood .
| A．have a bigger impact on an introverted person compared to extroverts. |
| B．have no impact on an outgoing person |
| C．are a big problem for both introverts and extroverts |
| D．help children better adapt to new environment |
We can infer from the passage that .
| A．our friendships are mainly affected by our nurture |
| B．we can move when children have made a lot of friends |
| C．the impact of moves will disappear when one reaches adulthood |
| D．there is some way to minimize the impact of moves during childhood on children |
Betty Skelton was often called “The First Lady of Firsts’’ because of the many records she set. She grew up in Pensacola, Florida, watching airplanes flying to and from a nearby navy base. As a child, she persuaded her parents to let her take flying lessons. By 12, Betty made her first flight alone, though not legally permitted to do so until she turned 16.
During the 1940s, female pilots were mostly prevented from commercial and military flying. So Betty Skelton decided to use her flight skills in aerobatics(特技飞行)，performing difficult turns, drops, and other exercises. She began performing and competing around the country.
She won the International Feminine Aerobatic Championship(IFAC)for three years in a row, starting in 1948. She and her little Pitts Special plane the “Little Stinker’’ became famous.
Dorothy Cochrane is an aviation expert who once studied and worked with Betty Skelton. “Betty was such a wonderful aerobatic pilot that she really set the bar high for other women to follow and she was a great role model for them. She really was as good as some of the men.”
Once Ms. Skelton had made her mark on flying, she moved on to racecars, becoming the first female test driver in the racecar industry. She set several land speed records. She also set a cross-country record, driving from New York to California in under 57 hours. And she became one of the top women advertising experts working with General Motors in support of the company’s Corvette car.
Ms. Skelton died in August, 2011, at the age of 85. Visitors to the Washington area can see her “little Stinker” plane at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. The small red and white plane hangs high in the air above the entrance to the museum.What can we learn from the first paragraph?
| A．Betty Skelton was the first Lady of the US. |
| B．16 was the legal age for people to fly an airplane. |
| C．Betty became a navy pilot when she was 16. |
| D．Betty’s parents didn’t support her flying interest. |
What happened to Betty Skelton in 1950?
| A．She moved on to racecars. |
| B．She became an aerobatic pilot. |
| C．She was 20 years old. |
| D．She won the IFAC for the third time. |
What can we know from the words by Dorothy Cochrane?
| A．It is not easy for other women to break Betty Skelton’s records. |
| B．She was even more excellent than some men in skills. |
| C．It is difficult for other women to reach the height Betty Skelton flew to. |
| D．Betty Skelton is an inspiring role model for pilots worldwide. |
What is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Betty started to fly alone at a nearby navy base at the age of 12. |
| B．“Little Stinker” was Betty Skelton’s Pitts Special plane. |
| C．Betty set several speed records in car racing. |
| D．Betty even set a cross-country record. |
What is the correct order of the events that happened in the passage?
a. Betty won the international Feminine Aerobatic Championship.
b. Betty became an advertising expert.
c. Betty made her first flight alone.
d. Betty began her aerobatic performance.
e. Betty became the first female test driver.
| A．a→b→c→d→e | B．a→e→b→c→d |
| C．c→d→a→e→b | D．c→b→d→a→e |
What is great art? On the one hand, we can all see that great art is old art which is called great. But how do we know which art of our own times is great, and which will be forgotten? And who decides?
These are important questions, for the great art of the past often was not considered great during its own time. When Shakespeare and Charles Dickens were writing, for example, most critics considered them as hack (平庸的) writers with little or no literary ability.
Similarly, Van Gogh and many of the other Impressionist painters of the late nineteenth century were not allowed to participate in events involving what were thought to be the "real" painters of the time, and often they were very poor. Yet today their paintings often sell for millions of dollars, while those so-called "real" painters are now barely remembered.
So what makes great art? Can, for example, rock music be great art? Music videos? Cartoons and comics? Those who call themselves critics of the fine arts often have been the last to recognize great art in the past, and we can probably expect this to be the situation today.
Critics often don’t recognize great art because they tend to be prejudiced against what is popular. Popular works, whether they are novels, movies, or comics, are usually considered to be produced for the sake of money only, and not for the sake of art.
But popularity, it seems to me, is one of the three signs that a present-day work of art may come to be thought of as great. The other two are that it is groundbreaking, and that it is inherently (内在的) beautiful.
Many works have one or even two of these qualities of being popular, unusual, and beautiful. But having all the three often will mean that a work of art will someday be seen to be great, though it may take a good spoonful of time, such as a century or two, to know for sure. The first paragraph is intended to__________.
| A．lead to the following and arouse the reader’s curiosity |
| B．introduce some real painters to the readers |
| C．introduce the questions the writer wants to answer |
| D．explain what kind of art will become popular |
The author used the examples of Shakespeare, Charles Dickens and Van Gogh to prove _____.
| A．these masters’ works have some shortcomings |
| B．these masters wouldn’t have been so successful without the critics |
| C．truly beautiful works of art are never understood when first created |
| D．great masters are often not acknowledged while they were alive |
According to the author, great works _______.
| A．may be presented in different forms |
| B．are generally valued by critics |
| C．are thought valuable because of their sale price |
| D．will lose their value if they’re not accepted |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Critics have changed their attitudes to great works. |
| B．Most of the opinions of critics are valueless. |
| C．The work of art itself, not the critics, determines its greatness. |
| D．Works of Impressionist painters will be great one day. |
If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter. This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles.
The study also found the effect is greater, the younger people learn a second language.
A team led by Dr Andrea Michelle, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “early bilinguals” who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners.
Scans showed that grey matter density (密度) in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference.
“Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,” said the scientists.
It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.
Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills. “Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible (灵活的).” he said. “You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas.”
The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of two and 34. Reading, writing, and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better. “Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world,” explained the scientists.The main subject talked about in this passage is ______.
| A．science on learning a second language |
| B．man’s ability of learning a second language |
| C．language can help brain power |
| D．language learning and maths study |
In the second paragraph, the writer mentions “exercise” in order to ______.
| A．say language is also a kind of physical labor |
| B．prove that one needs more practice when he (she) is learning a language |
| C．to show the importance of using the language when you learn the language |
| D．make people believe language learning helps grey matter work well |
We may know from the scientific findings that ______.
| A．the earlier you start to learn a second language, the higher the grey matter density is |
| B．there is no difference between a later second language learner and one who doesn’t know a second language |
| C．the experience of learning a second language has bad effect on people’s brain |
| D．the ability of learning a second language is changing all the time |
The underlined word “bilingual” probably means ______.
| A．a researcher on language learning |
| B．a person who is good at learning foreign languages |
| C．a person who can speak two languages |
| D．an active language learner |