Have you ever wondered why birds sing? Maybe you thought that they were just happy. After all, you probably sing or whistle when you are happy.
Some scientists believe that birds do sing some of the time just because they are happy. However they sing most of the time for a very different reason. Their singing is actually a warning to other birds to stay out of their territory.
Do you know what a ‘territory’ is? A territory is an area that an animal, usually the male, claims (声称) as its own. Only he and his family are welcome there. No other families of the same species are welcome. Your yard and house are your territory where only your family and friends are welcome. If a stranger should enter your territory and threaten you, you might shout. Probably this would be enough to frighten him away.
If so, you have actually scared the stranger away without having to fight him. A bird does the same thing. But he expects an outsider almost any time, especially at nesting（筑巢）season. So he is screaming all the time, whether he can see an outsider or not. This screaming is what we call a bird’s song, and it is usually enough to keep an outsider away.
Birds sing loudest in the spring when they are trying to attract a mate and warn others not to enter the territory of theirs.
You can see that birds have a language all their own. Most of it has to do with attracting mates and setting up territories.
43. Some scientists believe that most of the time bird’s singing is actually________.
A. an expression of happiness B. a way of warning
C. an expression of anger D. a way of greeting
44. What is a bird’s ‘territory’?
A. A place where families of other species are not accepted.
B. A place where a bird may shout at the top of its voice.
C. An area for which birds fight against each other.
D. An area which a bird considers to be its own.
45. Why do birds keep on singing at nesting season?
A. Because they want to invite more friends.
B. Because their singing helps frighten outsiders away.
C. Because they want to find outsiders around.
D. Because their singing helps get rid of their fears.
46. How does the writer explain bird’s singing?
A. By comparing birds with human beings. B. By reporting experiment results.
C. By describing birds’ daily life. D. By telling a bird’s story.
His name is James，but people call him Rocky.The name fits.He’s big，over six feet tall，and he’s tough when he needs to be.James “Rocky” Robinson lives and works in New York City’s BedfordStuyvesant district，one of the poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods in the United States.Yet it is here in BedStuy that he is saving lives and reviving a community.
In 1966，when Rocky was twentysix years old，his sevenyearold niece was struck by a car on the street of BedStuy.Had someone at the scene known first aid or CPR，she might have lived.But by the time she reached a hospital，she was dead.
His niece’s unnecessary death was one reason why Rocky became a paramedic (护理人员)．Working for the Emergency Medical Service of New York City，he realized that more than half the city’s emergency calls came from highcrime areas.According to Rocky，residents of crimeplagued minority neighborhoods like BedStuy sometimes had to wait as long as 26 minutes after calling 911 for an ambulance while calls in richer white communities were answered in_a_fraction_of_the_time.
Rocky decided to find out more about the problem.His research showed that the richer communities had organized their own ambulance corps (特殊部队) to improve city services because the city was overwhelmed with calls.“If that’s the key to success，”he told his friend and EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) colleague，Joe Perez，“we’ll start our own corps in BedStuy！”
In 1988，Rocky had no idea that he and Joe would be attempting to establish the first minorityrun ambulance service in the country，or just how creative he would have to be to overcome the difficulty.The pair’s first challenge was to find a location for the headquarters.They took over an abandoned building that was commonly used by drug dealers.Because there was no electricity or running water (except for the leaks in the roof)，the two men worked during daylight hours.They used a twoway radio to receive emergency calls.
Although they could make do with their new headquarters，Rocky and Joe still lacked the most important component of an ambulance service：an ambulance.An old Chevrolet (雪佛兰) got them to the scenes of accidents，fires，shootings，and stabbings.But the car didn’t always start.At times，they were forced to strap (用带捆绑) their trauma kits and oxygen tanks to their backs and run on foot to the emergencies.Everyone laughed，except the victims who were still alive when Rocky and Joe arrived.The author believes the name “Rocky” fits James because________.
| A．he is a tall and tough man |
| B．he is tall and does something big |
| C．he is living in a tough community |
| D．he leads a tough community |
James’ sevenyearold niece would have been saved if________.
| A．she had been sent to a better hospital |
| B．she had got first aid and arrived in hospital earlier |
| C．James had been at the spot |
| D．emergency calls had been available in the area |
The underlined phrase in Paragraph 3 means________.
| A．in a short time |
| B．over a long time |
| C．in the near future |
| D．from time to time |
We can infer from Paragraph 4 that________.
| A．ambulance corps were only allowed in rich white communities |
| B．James found white communities made more emergency calls |
| C．city services were not enough to meet people’s need |
| D．it was easy to establish the minorityrun ambulance service |
Scientists discovered 163 new species in Southeast Asia’s Greater Mekong region last year，but all are at risk of extinction due to climate change，the WWF said in a report released Friday.
The newly discovered creatures include a birdeating frog with fangs (毒牙)，a bird that would rather walk than fly and a gecko (壁虎) whose alien appearance inspired the report’s title of “Close Encounters”，the conservation group said.
The report was released ahead of major UN talks on climate change in Bangkok next week，which are being held before a makeorbreak summit in Copenhagen this December.
“Some species will be able to adapt to climate change，and many will not，potentially resulting in massive extinction，” Stuart Chapman，director of the WWF Greater Mekong program，said in the report.“Rare and endangered species like those newly discovered are especially vulnerable (易受伤害的) because climate change will further shrink their already restricted habitats，” he said.
“The new discoveries in 2010 include 100 plants,28 fish,18 reptiles,14 amphibians,2 mammals and a bird，”the WWF report said.The area spans Cambodia，Laos，Myanmar，Thailand，Vietnam and China’s Yunnan Province.
“Among the new species is the birdeating fanged frog，which remains hidden in a protected area of Thailand despite the fact that scientists are studying there for 40 years，” the report said.
The tigerstriped pit viper was discovered accidentally on an island off the coast of Vietnam when a scientist was looking for a lizard and his son pointed out that his hand was on a rock right next to the snake’s fangs.“We caught the snake and the gecko and they both proved to be new species，” researcher Lee Grismer of La Sierra University in California was quoted as saying in the report.The leopard gecko，found on another Vietnamese island，has the coloring of a leopard and bizarre orange，catlike eyes and thin legs.
The Greater Mekong region has proved a rich area for scientists.The WWF said in December 2010 that it had found 1,068 new species there between 1997 and 2009.What is special about the newly discovered bird?
| A．It usually walks. |
| B．It likes walking and flying. |
| C．It can eat other birds. |
| D．It can eat frogs. |
Stuart Chapman believes that________.
| A．most of the newly discovered species can adapt to climate change |
| B．climate change can cause massive extinction of the newly discovered species |
| C．the newly discovered species are not so vulnerable to climate change |
| D．many species have already died out because of climate change |
When Lee Grismer discovered the tigerstriped pit viper，he probably felt________.
| A．frightened | B．disappointed |
| C．excited | D．puzzled |
What does the passage mainly tell us?
| A．The Greater Mekong region is a rich area for scientists. |
| B．Many rare species remain to be discovered in the Mekong region. |
| C．Scientists have discovered many new species in the Mekong region. |
| D．Climate change threatens Mekong new species. |
People use their mouths for many things.They eat，talk，shout and sing.They smile and they kiss.In the English language，there are many expressions using the word “mouth”．
For example，if you say bad things about a person，the person might protest(抗议) and say “Do not bad mouth me.” Sometimes，people say something to a friend or family member that they later regret because it hurts that person.Or they tell the person something they were not supposed to tell.The speaker might say，“I really put my foot in my mouth this time.” If this should happen，the speaker might feel down in the mouth.In other words，he might feel sad for saying the wrong thing.
Another situation is when someone falsely claims another person said something.The other person might protest，“I did not say that.Do not put words in my mouth.”
Some people have lots of money because they were born into a very rich family.There is an expression for this，too.You might say such a person，“was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.” This rich person is the opposite of a person who lives from hand to mouth.This person is very poor and only has enough money for the most important things in life，like food.
Parents might sometimes keep a child off sweet food as a form of punishment for saying bad things.For example，if a child says things she should not say to her parents，she might be described as a mouthy child.The parents might even tell the child to stop mouthing off.
But enough of all this talk.I have been running my mouth long enough.What will the person say if he feels sorry for what he has said?
| A．Do not bad mouth me. |
| B．Stop mouthing off. |
| C．Do not put words in my mouth. |
| D．I really put my foot in my mouth this time. |
If a person lives from hand to mouth，it implies that________.
| A．he is badlyoff | B．he is hardworking |
| C．he has lots of money | D．he has enough to eat |
By saying“I have been running my mouth long enough”，the speaker means “________”．
| A．I have run a long way |
| B．I have talked too much |
| C．I have learned a lot |
| D．I have been a mouthy person |
What is mainly talked about in the text?
| A．Expressions about the word “mouth”． |
| B．Functions of the organ “mouth”． |
| C．Opinions about “mouthy people”． |
| D．Meanings of the word “mouth”． |
How far would you be willing to go to satisfy your need to know？Far enough to find out your possibility of dying from a terrible disease？These days that’s more than an academic question，as Tracy Smith reports in our Cover Story.
There are now more than a thousand genetic(基因的) tests，for everything from baldness to breast cancer，and the list is growing.Question is，do you really want to know what might eventually kill you？For instance，Nobel Prizewinning scientist James Watson，one of the first people to map their entire genetic makeup，is said to have asked not to be told if he were at a higher risk for Alzheimer’s(老年痴呆症)．
“If I tell you that you have an increased risk of getting a terrible disease，that could weigh on your mind and make you anxious，through which you see the rest of your life as you wait for that disease to hit you.It could really mess you up.” said Dr.Robert Green，a Harvard geneticist.
“Every ache and pain，” Smith suggested，could be understood as “the beginning of the end.”“That’s right.If you ever worried you were at risk for Alzheimer’s disease，then every time you can’t find your car in the parking lot，you think the disease has started.”
Dr.Green has been thinking about this issue for years.He led a study of people who wanted to know if they were at a higher genetic risk for Alzheimer’s.It was thought that people who got bad news would，for lack of a better medical term，freak_out.But Green and his team found that there was “no significant difference” between how people handled good news and possibly the worst news of their lives.In fact，most people think they can handle it.People who ask for the information usually can handle the information，good or bad，said Green.The first paragraph is meant to________.
| A．ask some questions |
| B．introduce the topic |
| C．satisfy readers’ curiosity |
| D．describe an academic fact |
Which of the following is TRUE of James Watson?
| A．He is strongly in favor of the present genetic tests. |
| B．He is more likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. |
| C．He believes genetic mapping can help cure any disease. |
| D．He doesn’t want to know his chance of getting a disease. |
According to Paragraphs 3 and 4，if a person is at a higher genetic risk，it is________.
| A．advisable not to let him know |
| B．impossible to hide his disease |
| C．better to inform him immediately |
| D．necessary to remove his anxiety |
The underlined part “freak out” in Paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to “________”．
| A．break down | B．drop out |
| C．leave off | D．turn away |
Three engineers and three accountants (会计) are traveling by train to a conference.At the station，the three accountants each buy tickets and watch as the three engineers buy only a single ticket.
“How are three people going to travel on only one ticket？” asks an accountant.“Watch and you’ll see，” answers an engineer.They all board the train.The accountants take their respective seats but all three engineers cram into a restroom and close the door behind them.
Shortly after the train has departed，the conductor comes around collecting tickets.He knocks on the restroom door and says，“Ticket，please.” The door opens just a crack and a single arm emerges with a ticket in hand.The conductor takes it and moves on.
The accountants see this and agree it is quite a clever idea.So after the conference，the accountants decide to copy the engineers on the return trip and save some money.When they get to the station they buy a single ticket for the return trip.
To their astonishment，the engineers don’t buy a ticket at all.“How are you going to travel without a ticket？”asks one puzzled accountant.“Watch and you’ll see，” answers an engineer.When they board the train the three accountants cram into a restroom and the three engineers cram into another one nearby.The train departs.
Shortly afterward，one of the engineers leaves his restroom and walks over to the restroom where the accountants are hiding.He knocks on the door and says，“Ticket，please.”The three engineers buy only a single ticket because________.
| A．only one of them need buy a ticket |
| B．the three accountants buy tickets for them |
| C．they just want to save money |
| D．they are too poor to buy more tickets |
The underlined word departed in the third paragraph means________.
| A．started out | B．separated |
| C．stopped | D．arrived |
We can infer from the passage that________.
| A．the accountants are not as clever as the engineers |
| B．the accountants are cleverer than the engineers |
| C．the engineers are not as clever as the accountants |
| D．the engineers are as clever as the accountants |
Which one of the following is TRUE according to this passage?
| A．Only one engineer is in the restroom when the conductor collects the ticket. |
| B．At first the three accountants know why the three engineers buy one ticket. |
| C．On the return trip the three accountants buy three tickets again. |
| D．On the return trip the three engineers don’t buy any ticket. |