The idea for a science experiment can come from an unusual place. After watching a YouTube video of a dancing bird named Snowball, a scientist in California decided to study the ability of animals to keep the beat.
Bird lovers have long claimed that their pets have rhythm, and there are many videos of dancing birds online. Until now, scientists have suspected that humans are the only animals that can accurately keep rhythm with music.
Thanks to Snowball, that scientific opinion is changing. Snowball is a cockatoo, a kind of parrot, and his favorite song is "Everybody" by the Backstreet Boys. When he hears the song, he moves his feet and rocks his body with the tempo, or pace of the music, as though he is the only bird member of the boy band.
Aniruddh Patel is a neuroscientist, or a scientist who studies how the brain and the nervous system contribute to learning, seeing and other mental abilities. He works at the Neurosciences Institute in San Diego. After seeing Snowball's dance online, Patel visited the cockatoo at the bird rescue facility he's called home for two years. The scientist played "Everybody" for Snowball and also played versions of the song that were sped up or slowed down. Sometimes, Snowball danced too fast or too slowly. Often, when there was a change in tempo, Snowball adjusted his dancing to match the rhythm. In other experiments, scientists have observed the same abilities in preschool children.
Patel isn't the only scientist who has studied Snowball's moves. Adena Schachner, who studies psychology at Harvard University, also wanted to know more abo
ut the dancing bird. Schachner's team played different musical pieces for Snowball and a parrot named Alex, as well as eight human volunteers. The scientists observed that the birds and the humans kept time to the music with about the same accuracy.
Schachner and her team watched thousands of YouTube videos of different animals moving to music. Not all the animals could dance, however. From watching the videos, the scientists observed that only animals that imitate sounds, including 14 parrot species and Asian elephants, accurately moved in time to music.
68. The underlined words “that scientific opinion” in the third paragraph refer to the theory that _____.
A. birds like Snowball have the ability to keep the beat
B. humans are the only animals that can accurately keep rhythm with music
C. the brain and the nervous system contribute to some mental abilities
D. bird pets can have their special rhythm under human’s instruction
69. From the fourth paragraph we may know that _________.
A. Patel is the only scientist who has studied Snowball’s moves.
B. Snowball is able to adjust his dancing to match the rhythm.
C. Snowball cannot dance to the versions of the song Everybody.
D. it is the brain and the nervous system that control the mental abilities.
70. The idea of studying animals’ ability to keep the beat comes from _________.
A. bird lovers’ discovery B. humans musical sense
C. the same abilities in children D. videos of dancing birds
71. According to the scientists, Snowball’s ability to dance to music is probably related to the fact that _________.
A. it is the only bird member of the Backstreet Boys band
B. it has the ability to imitate sounds
C. it is a kind of dancing parrot
D. it has the same abilities as preschool children
Tales From Animal Hospital
David Grant
David Grant has become a familiar face to millions of fans of Animal Hospital.Here Dr Grant tells us the very best of his personal stories about the animals he has treated，including familiar patients such as the dogs Snowy and Duchess，the delightful cat Marigold Serendipity Diamond. He also takes the reader behind the scenes at Harmsworth Memorial Animal Hospital as he describes his day，from ordinary medical check-ups to surgery(外科手术). Tales From Animal Hospital will delight all fans of the program and anyone who has a lively interest in their pet，whether it be cat，dog or snake!
￡14.99 Hardback 272pp Simon Schuster
ISBN0751304417
Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer
Michael White
From the author（作者）of Stephen Hawking: A Life in Science，comes this colorful description of the life of the world’s first modern scientist. Interesting yet based on fact，Michael White‘s learned yet readable new book offers a true picture of Newton completely different from what people commonly know about him. Newton is shown as a gifted scientist with very human weaknesses who stood at the point in history where magic(魔术)ended and science began.
￡ 18.99 Hardback 320pp Fourth Estate
ISBN 1857024168
Fermat’s Last Theorem
Simon Singh
In 1963 a schoolboy called Andrew wiles reading in his school library came across the world’s greatest mathematical problem, Fermat’s Last Theorem(定理). First put forward（提出） by the French mathematician（数学家） Pierre de Fermat in the seventeenth century，the theorem had baffled and beaten the finest mathematical minds，including a French woman scientist who made a major advance in working out the problem，and who had to dress like a man in order to be able to study at the Ecole Polytechnique. Through unbelievable determination Andrew Wiles finally worked out the problem in 1995. An unusual story of human effort over three centuries，Fermat’s Last Theorem will delight specialists（专家） and general readers alike.
￡ 12.99 Hardback 384pp Fourth Estate
ISBN 1857025210
50. What is Animal Hospital? _______.
A. A news story. B.A popular book C. A research report. D. A TV program.
51. In Michael White’s book，Newton is described as _______.
A. a person who did not look the same as in many pictures
B. a person who lived a colorful and meaningful life
C. a great but not perfect man D. an old－time magician
52. The person who finally proved Fermat’s Last Theorem is _______.
A.Simon Singh B. Andrew Wiles
C. Pierre de Fermat D. a French woman scientist
53. What is the purpose of writing these three texts? _______.
A. To make the books easier to read. B. To show the importance of science.
C. To introduce new authors. D. To sell the books.
IV阅读理解 32%
If you are a 30-plus plain Jane, or if you are not a local fresh graduate, get ready for the embarrassment(尴尬) in the job market. And you are just one of the millions to face discrimination（歧视）.
About 85 percent of the 3,424 people covered by a survey in 10 big cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, said discrimination in work and employment（就业） did exist. Also, the survey results given on Friday showed that 58 percent thought the problem to be severe（严重）.
Appearance, height and gender are the most discriminative categories（范畴）, the Beijing Morning Post reported.
Some requirements could be funny. The newspaper said Beijing citizen Zhang Meng, who had more than 10 years’ driving experience, failed to get a job because his possible employers considered his name to be “unlucky”.
“Meng”, they said, literally(字面上)means “rush” in Chinese, which made him more accident prone（倾向）than others.
Employers discriminate against people from certain regions or areas, such as Central China’s Henan Province, because of the bad impression they have about them. Beijing citizens, too, have their share of bad luck because they are generally considered lazy.
Cai Dingjian, a professor from China University of Political Science and Law, who headed the survey, said such requirements, which are not connected with the job itself, violate（侵犯）people’s equal right to look for a career. “It violates basic human rights,” he said to the newspaper.
Cai said governments should pay attention to such discriminations because they exist not only in companies, but are also practiced by them. One example is that civil servants(公务员) are usually required to have a pleasant personality.
Director of the labour law committee under the All China Lawyers Association
Jiang Junlu said the lack of related laws was at the root of all discriminations.
46. Zhang Meng failed to get a job because __________.
A. he had made more mistakes than others
B. he lacked driving experience
C. he was considered to have an unlucky name
D. he couldn’t find a pleasant employer
47. What is people’s response to discrimination in job market?
A. They think it is unfair but necessary due to the large population of China.
B. It does exist in certain regions, but is not so serious.
C. Something must be done to stop it by governments.
D. It is a local problem and isn’t worth much concern.
48. What can be an effective way to fight against discrimination according to the passage?
A. To fine companies which practice discrimination.
B. To make laws related to discrimination.
C. To stop more people moving into cities.
D. To train people those who are poor in skills.
49. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Discrimination not only exists in companies, but also in governments.
B. Employers nowadays concern more about appearance, height and gender.
C. People in Beijing will never worry about experiencing discrimination.
D. Requirements connected with the job itself should have been put in the first place.
When you enter a supermarket, you see shelves full of food. You walk between the shelves. You carry a shopping basket w
ith your food in it.
You probably hear soft, slow music as you walk between the shelves. If you hear fast music, you walk quickly. The supermarket plays slow music. You walk slowly and have more time to buy things.
Maybe you go to the meat department first. There is some meat on sale, and you want to find it. The manager of the supermarket knows where customers enter the meat department. The cheaper meat is at the other end of the meat department, away from where the customers enter. You have to walk by all the expensive meat before you find the cheaper meat. Maybe you will buy some of the expensive meat instead of the meat on sale.
The department selling milk and milk products such as butter and milk powder is called the dairy department. Many customers like milk that has only a little butter fat in it. One store has three different jars of low fat milk. One says “1 percent fat” on the jar. The second says “99 percent fat free”, the third says “Low fat” in big letters and “1%”in small letters. As you can see, all the milk has the same amount of fat. The milk is all the same. However, in this store the three jars of milk cost three different amounts of money. Maybe the customers will buy the milk that costs the most.
Most of the food in supermarkets is very pleasing. It all says “Buy me!” to the customers. The expensive meat says “Buy me” as you walk by. The expensive milk jar says “Buy me! I have less fat.”
77. The manager of the supermarket knows______.
A. which customers like low fat milk B. which customers like slow music
C. where customers enter the meat department D. where customers come from
78. When you walk by the expensive meat, maybe you will______.
A. buy some B. try to find fresh fruits C. look for low fat milk D. just walk on
79. There are three different jars of low fat milk and_____.
A. one has more fat than the other two B. they are almost the same amount of money
C. one has less fat than the others D. they all have the same amount of fat
80. Supermarket managers make the food pleasing so that_____.
A. there will be more buyers B. buyers will be proud
C. it is good and expensive D. they can raise the prices
A youngster’s social development has a deep effect on his academic(学术的)progress. Kids who have trouble getting along with their classmates can end up behind academically as well and have a high chance of stopping attending school. In the early grades especially, experts say youngsters should be encouraged to work in groups rather than alone so that teachers can spot childre
n who may be having problems making friends. "When children work on a project", says Lillian Kate, an educational professor at the University &Illinois, "they learn to work together, to disagree, to think, to take turns and lighten tensions These skills can’t be learned through lecture. We all know people who have wonderful technical skills but don’t have any social skills.”
At certain age, children are also learning to judge themselves in relation to others. For most children, school marks the first time that their goals are not set by a home clock but by the outside world. Just as the 1-year-old struggles to walk, the 6-year-old is struggling to meet adult expectations. Young kids don’t know how to tell effort and ability apart, says Tynette Hills, coordinator(协调员)of early-childhood education for the state of New Jersey. If they try hard to do something and fail, they may conclude that they will never be ab
le to finish a particular task. The effects of obvious methods of comparison such as posting grades, can be serious. Says Hills, “a child who has had his confidence really damaged needs a rescue operation.”
72．The writer seems to think that a kid’s poor relationship with his classmates would _______.
A．have a lot of side effects on his study
B、develop his independence but limit his brains
C．certainly lead to his stopping attending school
D．have nothing to do with his progress in a course
73．The underlined word “spot” means ____________.
A．teach B．help C．find D．treat
74．For most children, school makes them understand_________.
A．that social needs and their own needs have nothing in common
B．how they can meet social needs
C．that one’s effort and ability can be two quite different matters
D．that it is society not they themselves that decides their future
75．Which of the following is most unlikely for the writer to do?_______.
A．To talk to students who have mental problems
B. To help students develop a feeling of self-respect.
C．To announce a student’s scores in public
D．To keep a student from playing alone
76．Which of the following does a student most need according to the passage? __________.
A．Independence and co-operation.
B．Academic success and independent thought.
C．Ability and self-respect.
D．Socialization and technical skills.
Thousands of villages in the developing world have no telephones. They have no money to build telephone systems. A new kind of technology may help change this situation. I t reduces the cost of building and using telephone systems.
Traditional systems use wires to carry electrical signals from one telephone to another. The wires often cost much more than telephones. The new system is based on radio communication. Each telephone sends and receives signals through the air, but not through the wires. This reduces the cost greatly. The radio telephone gets their power from the sun.
Each is connected to a solar equipment that changes the sun’s energy into electricity. A battery stores the electricity until someone needs to make or receive a call. The telephone turns off by itself if the level of power in the battery falls too low. This prevents damage to the system. Each radio telephone is connected to a computer microprocessor. It rewards how many calls are sent and received. It controls the power supply.
The technology needs more study, but its new use of radio equipment sun power and computers may help start telephone ringing in the other parts of the world.
68. The radio telephone gets their power from_____.
A. the sun B. electricity C. 
battery D. a special equipment
69. Each telephone is connected to_____.
A. a solar equipment B. a radio machine
C. a computer microprocessor D. Both A and C
70. From the passage we can infer that_____.
A. the new telephone system costs less than before
B. we can not use the radio as before
C. the new telephone system will take the place of the old one
D. it will be much easier to radio from now on
71. The main idea of the passage is_____.
A. a simple telephone system has been invented and
costs less money
B. thousands of villages will use the new telephone system very soon
C. traditional telephone system will become useless
D. the new system will be too good to use