.
Birds in cities are damaging their health by trying to sing above the noise of urban life.
New research shows that male birds are trying to compete against traffic and city sounds.They are now singing louder and at higher frequencies,which could harm their vocal cords.Some birds are choosing to sing at night instead of dudng the day.This makes them more open to attack and also creates stress and exhanstion.
“The difference between urban and rural birdsong is becoming so big that the two groups could now be unable to communicate.This could lead to inbreeding and a weak gene pool.”said Dr Sue Anne Zollinger of the University of St Andrews.
According to Zollingar,a bird group with a small geae pool might adapt less quickly to new diseases and could be wiped out.
A study of the dawn chorus found that birds in Berlin sang up to 14 decibels(分贝)louder than those in the forest.The birds sang loudest on weekday momings.
“By trying to sing over the sound of the city,birds are rising vocal injury,”said Zollinger.“All this puts the sarne strain on a bird’s vocal cords as when ahuman need to shout to be heard—except the birds are doing it all day,every day,”she said.
“Singing under such pressure means birds have less control over the sound they produce. Their songs may lose quality and become more rough—sounding.”said Zollinger.This could make them appear less attractive to female birds.
Mark Constantine,author of The Sound Approach to Birding,said:“Birdsong is important for our quality of life and has been proved to reduce our blood pressure.When we live in the centre of large,urban areas,we get stressed and it's extremely good to have birdsong around us.The impact on humans of birdsong is massive.It harms us,as well as the birds,if their songs become louder and simpler
53.Some birds in cities now choose to sing at night time because_______.
A.they want to attract more birds of opposite sex
B.they are more likely to be discovered by their family
C.they can’t adapt to the loud noises during the daytime
D.they have to frighten their enemy away
54.According to the passage,urban and rural birds might not be able to_______.
A.recognize each other
B communicate with each other
C live with each other
D.compete against each other
55.It requires greatest efforts for birds in cities to sing o_______.
A.Monday nights B.Wednesday afternoons
C.Saturday Evenings D.Friday momings
56.According to Dr Sue Anne Zollinger,birds singing louder might eventually lead to_______.
A.the harm done to man’s health
B the dying out of a species
C.the serious damage to the bird’s vocal cords
D.the decrease ofthe birth rate ofa bird group
Shakespeare, more perhaps than any other writer, made full use of the greatest resources of the English language. Most of us use about five thousand words in our normal use of English; Shakespeare in his works used about twenty-five thousand words! There is probably no better way for a foreigner to appreciate the richness and variety of the English language than by studying the various ways in which Shakespeare uses it. Such a study is well worth the effort, even though some aspects of English usage, and the meaning of many words, have changed since Shakespeare’s day.
However, it is surprising that we should know comparatively little about the life of the greatest English writer. We know that Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-on-Avon, and that he died there in 1616. He almost certainly attended the Grammar School in the town, but of this we cannot be sure. We know he was married there in 1582 to Anne Hathaway and that he had three children. We know that he spent much of his life in London writing his great works. But this is almost all that we do know.
However, what is important about Shakespeare’s life is not its other less important details but its products, the plays and the poems. For many years scholars have been trying to add a few facts about Shakespeare’s life to the small number we already possess and for an equally long time critics (评论家) have been talking about the plays. Sometimes, indeed, it seems that the poetry of Shakespeare will disappear under the great mass of comment (评论) that has been written upon it.
Luckily this is not likely to happen. Shakespeare’s people have long delighted not just the English but lovers of literature everywhere, and will continue to do so after the scholars and critics and all their works have been forgotten.
70. According to the writer, which of the following remains uncertain about Shakespeare?
A. His date of birth. B. His marriage.
C. His life in the Grammar School. D. His date of death.
71. It can be inferred from Para.3 that ______.
A. not all the comments on Shakespeare’s works have produced good effects
B. scholars have successfully collected facts about Shakespeare’s life
C. critics are more interested in Shakespeare’s plays than his poetry
D. the details of Shakespeare’s life are more important than his literary works
72. What does the last sentence in Para.3 mean?
A. People don’t think the poetry of Shakespeare good any more.
B. People pay more attention to the comment than the poetry of Shakespeare.
C. People can’t see the poetry of Shakespeare any more.
D. The comment is printed upon the poetry of Shakespeare.
73. “Shakespeare’s people” in Para.4 refers to _______.
A. the characters in Shakespeare’s products
B. the people whose native language is English
C. the people living in Shakespeare’s day
D. the readers of Shakespeare’s works
The South China tiger could become extinct within 30 to 50 years if it does not receive protection. There are only 20 to 30 South China tigers in their earliest natural places, with Guangdong Province having only five left because forests are being destroyed as a result of rapid industrial growth.
The South China tiger can live 20 to 25 years, but the survival rate for the young is becoming lower as a result of rapid growth in industry and tourism. Even with hard work, it is hoped that the number of South China tigers can only reach 150 to 180 in the coming century.
68. The underlined word “extinct ” means ______.
A. different B. seriously ill C. no longer exist D. frightening
69. The best title for this news could be ______.
A. The Life Span of the South China Tiger
B. The Coming Century for the South China Tiger
C. Chinese Scientists Call SOS for South China Tigers
D. Industrial Growth—The Enemy of South China Tiger
The gray-haired lady can’t wait to leave the building to search for her dad. Unless watched, she will walk in the streets in an effort to find her father, who died 30 years ago.
Not all cases of Alzheimer’s disease look like this, but Alzheimer’s is a serious disease that is said to be the fourth or fifth leading cause of death for people over age 75.
It is said that about three percent of the U.S. population over age 65 have Alzheimer’s. In the early stages, people may show short term memory loss. Some may experience changes in personality, easy to be angry. As the disease progresses, patients might lose the ability to move and may be unable to speak or move at all. This progressive disease generally lasts 8 to 10 years before death occurs.
While no one is certain what causes these changes in the brain’s nerve fibers (神经纤维),their effect is certain. Alzheimer’s destroys not only the patients, but also spouses(配偶), friends and families.
What should you do if you notice progressive memory loss in yourself or a loved one? Have the person examined by a doctor who is a specialist in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Though many reasons other than Alzheimer’s disease may cause memory loss, its early symptoms and treatment may delay some of the most serious effects.
What feeling will you likely experience should a loved one suffer from Alzheimer’s disease? A person will often go through the various stages of sadness, shock, anger, and so on. If the spouse develops the disease, you may experience hurt and disappointment when he or she doesn’t remember you are married.
Life for the Alzheimer’s patients and their loved ones will never be the same as the disease progresses, bringing a deep sorrow, loss and even anger towards God. No matter what feelings are present, facing them honestly will serve one better than burying them.
64. What can be inferred from the passage about the gray-haired lady?
A. She has been living with her father.
B. She was sad about the death of her father.
C. She can’t search for her father without being watched.
D. She suffers from Alzheimer’s disease.
65. When people suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, _______.
A. their families and friends will suffer from the same disease
B. their families and friends will experience mental sufferings
C. they will certainly die in 8 to 10 years
D. they will forget everybody but their spouses
66. Memory loss occurs _______.
A. from Alzheimer’s disease and nothing else
B. from sadness, shock, anger, and so on
C. for a number of reasons
D. with changes in personality
67. From the passage we know that _______.
A. early treatment may stop Alzheimer’s disease occurring
B. it is still unknown what causes the changes in the brain’s nerve fibers
C. nerve fibers in the brain will cause Alzheimer’s disease
D. when one suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, he will be buried
第三部分:阅读理解(第一节15小题,第二节5小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
第一节:阅读下面的短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Parents often believe that they have a good relationship with their teenagers. But last summer, Joanna and Henry noticed a change in their older son: suddenly he seemed to be talking far more to his friends than to his parents. “The door to his room is always shut.” Joanna noted.
Tina and Mark noticed similar changes in their 14-year-old daughter. “She used to cuddle up (蜷伏) with me on the sofa and talk,” said Mark. “Now we joke that she does this only when she wants something. Sometimes she wants to be treated like a little girl and sometimes like a young lady. The problem is figuring out which time is which.”
Before age 11, children like to tell their parents what’s on their minds. “In fact, parents are first on the list.” said Michael Riera, author of Uncommon Sense for Parents with Teenagers. “This completely changes during the teen years.” Riera explained. “They talk to their friends first, then maybe their teachers, and their parents last.”
Parents who know what’s going on in their teenagers’ lives are in the best position to help them. To break down the wall of silence, parents should create chances to understand what their children want to say, and try to find ways to talk and write to them. And they must give their children a mental break, for children also need freedom, though young. Another thing parents should remember is that, to be a friend, not a manager, with their children is a better way to know them.
61. “The door to his room is always shut” suggests that the son _______.
A. is always busy with his studies
B. doesn’t want to be disturbed (干扰)
C. keeps himself away from his parents
D. begins to dislike his parents
62. What troubles Tina and Mark most is that ______.
A. their daughter isn’t as lovely as before
B. they can’t read their daughter’s mind exactly
C. they don’t know what to say to their daughter
D. their daughter talks with them only when she needs help
63. Which of the following best explains “the wall of silence” in the last paragraph?
A. Teenagers talk a lot with their friends.
B. Teenagers do not want to understand their parents.
C. Teenagers do not talk much with their parents.
D. teenagers talk little about their own lives.
When an ant dies, other ants take it out of the nest, often within an hour after its death. This behavior interests scientists and they wonder how ants know for sure—and so soon—that another ant is dead.
One scientist recently came up with a way to explain this ant behaviour. Dong-Hwan Choe is a biologist, a scientist who studies animals and plants. He found that ants have a chemical on the outside of their bodies that signals to other ants, “I'm dead—take me away” when it is dead.
But there's a question to answer: As we know, if an ant is dead, it stops moving. But when an ant is sleeping or knocked unconscious, it is also not moving. However, other ants don't move the living ant out of the nest. How do they know this ant is not dead? Choe found that ants have another chemical on their bodies, which tells nearby ants something like, “Wait—I'm not dead yet”when
it is not dead. Choe suspects that when an ant dies, the chemical that says, “Wait I'm not dead yet”quickly goes away. When other ants detect the“dead”chemical without the“not dead yet”chemical, they move away the body.
To test his theory , Choe and his team put different chemicals on ants. When the scientists used the “I'm dead” chemical, other ants quickly moved the treated ant away. When the scientists used the“Wait—I'm not dead yet”chemical, other ants left the treated ant alone. Choe believes this behavior shows that the“not dead yet”chemical overrides the“dead” chemical when picked up by other ants. And that when an ant dies, the “not dead yet” chemical fades away. Other nearby ants then detect the remaining“dead”chemical and remove the body from the nest.
Understanding this behavior can help scientists figure out how to stop ants from invading new places and causing problems.
57. What is the function of the first paragraph?
A. Leading the following paragraphs.
B. Showing the main idea of the passage.
C. Introducing the background of the passage.
D. Giving a summary of the passage.
58. Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined word “overrides” in the fourth paragraph?
A.is weaker than B. is stronger than C. is better than D. is worse than
59. What can we learn from the passage?
A. Living ants can also be taken away when they are not moving.
B. When an ant dies, it can tell others using a certain chemical.
C. A living ant can pretend to be dead using a special chemical.
D. Ants often use chemicals to communicate with each other.
60. Which of the following descriptions about Dong-Hwan Choe is right?
A. Choe did this study in order to stop ants from invading new places.
B.Choe is a biologist who is only interested in animals, especially in ants.
C. Choe first came up with an idea to explain this ant behavior,and then did some tests to prove his theory.
D. Choe did the research on this ant behavior on his own