I believe that animals possess greater intelligence than most people think. But plants? I've never considered the possibility of plant intelligence. The idea seems absurd.
Yet I've had friends argue that plant intelligence might exist. "What are the differences between plants and animals?" they ask, and then they argue about certain species that seem to share the intelligence of both plants and animals.
New research suggests that plants communicate via "networks". Plant communication is not a new idea, and cannot indicate that its is a kind of intelligence, but it is still interesting.
Recent research from Vidi researcher Josef Stuefer at the Radboud University Nijmegen shows that plants have their own chat systems that they can use to warn each other. Therefore plants are not boring and passive organisms that just stand there waiting to be cut down or eaten up. Many plants form internal communication networks and are able to exchange information networks and are able to exchange information efficiently.
Many herbal plants such as strawberries and clovers (三叶草)naturally form networks.
Individual plants remain connected with each other for a certain period of time by means of runners (plant stems that grow along the ground and put down roots to form new plants). These connections enable the plants to share information with each other via internal channels. They are therefore very similar to computer networks. But what do plants chat to each other about?
Recently Stuefer and his colleagues were the first to prove that clover plants warn each other via the network links if danger is nearby . If one of the plants is attacked by caterpillars (毛虫)，the other members of the network are warned via an internal signal. Once warned, the intact (完好无损的)plants strengthen their chemical and mechanical (机体的)resistance so that they are less attractive to advancing caterpillars. Thanks to this early warning system, the plants can stay one step ahead of their attackers. The research has shown that this significantly limits the damage to the plants.
Again, I don't believe this reflects intelligence, but it's is certainly fascinating.
1.The author thinks that the plant communication___________. .
A. is absolutely a new idea B. is a sign of plant intelligence
C. is related to animal communication D. is interesting and fascinating
2.Which of the following statements about the research is NOT true?
A. Most plants have no chat system and are passive organisms.
B. Individual plants can also remain connected with each other.
C. The communication between clover plants can protect them from damage.
D. The research is the first to show how clover plants warn each other.
3.The author's attitude towards plant intelligence is _______________.
A. unconcerned B. doubtful C. positive D. hopeful
4.What's the best title for the passage?
A. Does Plant Communication Really Exist?
B. Some Discoveries About Clover Plant
C. Does Plant Communication Imply Intelligence?
D. A New Study on Plant Communication
In order to start a business online now, there are a few steps you need to complete
The very first step you need to complete is to have a product or service idea.A good idea to make money online should be an idea that excites you, an idea that others will be interested in, and an idea that not many other people are trying
Once you have your business ready to go,you need to go ahead and get a website.You will need to buy a domain name(域名)and host it with a company on the Web.You domain name should be as simple as possible and it should also be related to your products.After this you can go ahead and get your site built up.
You can either do this yourself or you can pay someone else to do this.The site itself doesn’t have to be anything special.
The final step for starting your business online is to have a way to make money.For this, you need to have a merchant account that will let you sell things and make money.Your merchant account should accept as many forms of payment as possible.
Once your site is up and running,you can begin marketing the site.You need to creat contents(articles,social networking sites,blog entries,ect.)and post it on the Internet so that you can attract as many potential(潜在的)customers as possible.
That’s how easy it is to start a business online now.In no time at all you will be making money online. We infer the writer wrote this passage to tell us ___.
| A．how to set up a website |
| B．how to start a business online |
| C．how to make some pocket money |
| D．how to become famous nowadays |
According to Paragraph 2, a good idea to make money online probably should be an idea that ___.
| A．you are not excited about |
| B．othersd will not be interested in |
| C．almost everyone knows |
| D．few people are trying |
According to the writer, which of the following may NOT be something necessary to do?
| A．Building up a website |
| B．Having a simple domain name |
| C．Making your site asd special as possible |
| D．Hosting the domain name with a company on the Web |
After reading the passage, we infer that___.
| A．it costs no money to start a business online |
| B．not everyone is allowed to start a business online |
| C．you need to have as many merchant accounts as possible |
| D．it is better if the website domain name is related to the products you sell |
A young man wanted to learn the art of sword fighting.He went to the greatest instructor(教练)and said,“Please teach me sword fighting”,the instructor gladly accepted him.
In the days that followed the instructor gave him many chores(杂务)to perform. But there was no mention of the sword. The young man got disappointed, saying, “Great teacher, kindly begin my lessons.”The instructor agreed.
The next day when the young man was cooking, the instructor came from behind and hit him with a wooden sword and disappeared. The young man was taken by surprise. The next day, the same thing happened. The young man now started preparing himself mentally to counter(反击)any such surprise attack.
Next time when the instructor came to attack him, the young man was able to dodge(躲闪)the sword.He was very happy and asked the instructor, “Now have I learnt the art of defending myself?”The instructor did not respond to his question.
Such surprise attacks became common and the young man got more and more skillful in counting the attacks well. One day the young man saw the instructor engaged seriously in a task. He thought, “Now let me catch the instructor unawares and attack him.”He took the wooden sword and attacked the instructor without making a sound from behind.But the instructor was fully prepareed for it. He turned around and defended himself most skillfully.
Realization struck the young man that moment. He thought, “How great this instructor is! Today I have learnt the real secret of sword fighting. He has taught me that waving the sword and learning the opponent′s(对手的) moves are not the essentials of sword fighting.What is important is to read what goes on in the opponent′s mind and to counter his movement and his thoughts too.”
The young man continued to work hard and became a great sword fighter.When the young man asked the instructor to accept him, the instructor_____.
| A．asked him if he did house work at home |
| B．told him the art of fighting at once |
| C．met his requirement without hestitation |
| D．quickly hit him with a sword |
When he attacked the instructor, the young man_______.
| A．was seriously engaged in a task |
| B．wanted to give him a lesson |
| C．didn't want to learn more from him |
| D．didn't do it successfully |
According to the passage, what is the most important thing in being a good sword fighter?
| A．To be able to counter any surprise attact. |
| B．To attack the instructor successfully. |
| C．To know what your opponent is thinking. |
| D．To have a great instructor with good methods. |
Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Good students come from famous teachers. |
| B．There is no end to learn something well. |
| C．A good beginning is half done. |
| D．Nothing is difficult to a willing heart. |
Alia Sabur，from NY，US，has clearly been ahead of the learning curve since an early age．She finished elementary school at five，made the jump to college at 10，and by age 14，was earning a bachelor’s degree of science in applied mathematics from Stony Brook University — the youngest female in US history to do so．Her education continued at Drexel University，where she earned an MS and a PhD in materials science and engineering．
With an unlimited future ahead of her，Sabur directed her first career choice to teaching．“I really enjoy teaching，”said Sabur．“It’s something where you can make a difference．It’s not just what you can do，but you can enable a lot of other people to make their changes．”She was three days short of her 19th birthday when she was hired as a professor at Konkuk University in Seoul，Korea．This distinction made her the youngest college professor in history，according to the Guinness Book of World Records，beating the previous record held by Colin Maclaurin，a student of physicist Isaac Newton．
Although she doesn’t start until next month，Sabur has taken up teaching math and physics courses at Southern University in New Orleans．Sabur is old enough to teach，but not to join her fellow professors in a bar after work．In Korea，where the drinking age is 20，she might have more luck．In traditional Korean culture，children are considered to be one year old when they are born，and add a year to their age every New Year instead of their actual birthday．
In addition to her unprecedented（空前的）academic achievements，Sabur has a black belt in the Korean martial art of tae kwon do．She is also a talented clarinet（竖笛）player，who once performed with musicians like Lang Lang and Smash Mouth．So is there anything Sabur can’t do?What is Paragraph 1 mainly about?
| A．Sabur’s childhood． |
| B．Sabur’s education． |
| C．Sabur’s achievement in science． |
| D．Sabur’s interest in teaching． |
What can be inferred from Sabur’s words?
| A．She’s ambitious to make a big difference to the world． |
| B．She’s eager to show how special she is． |
| C．She’s ready to share her knowledge． |
| D．She wants to be long remembered． |
What does the underlined word“distinction”in Paragraph 2 mean?
| A．A difference between similar things． |
| B．A strange man / woman． |
| C．A famous place． |
| D．A special honor． |
By saying“she might have more luck”in Paragraph 3，the author means ______．
| A．Sabur might be more welcomed in Korea |
| B．Sabur might make more achievements in Korea |
| C．Sabur might be permitted to drink in bars |
| D．Sabur might be old enough to be a full-time professor |
From the last paragraph we can infer that ______．
| A．there is nothing Sabur cannot do |
| B．where there is a will there is a way |
| C．Sabur has varied interests |
| D．Sabur has her own way to relax |
Inspired by a 9-year-old cyclist who has the use of only part of one hand, a group of students at the University of Guelph has won an international award for their invention--a bike brake lever（刹车手柄）that pulls both the front brake and the back brake at the same time.
Lauren Turner was able to ride her bike, but not as confidently and quickly as her friends.
“She couldn't use the front brake. She was only using the back brake, but the front brake makes you stop twice as fast,” says Micha Wallace, who with Katie Bell, Anina Sakaguchi and Andrew morris won the second prize in the James Dyson Awards for their single-handed bike brake lever.
“She used it all last summer and she had no problems. She said it helped her go faster because she felt more confident in her braking abilities. She felt safer,”says Wallace.
The invention was the fourth-year design project for the four students. They designed, tested and created a prototype(模型)within a four-month period.
When Wallace heard about the James Dyson Awards on the news, she and her co-inventors entered their project in the UK-based contest, which rewards student designers who creat proucts that improve the way we live. The Guelph students collected the second prize-￡2,000 for them, plus ￡500 for their school.
As well, they had a chance to meet James Dyson, a UK inventor. While praising the students for their invention, Dyson said the single-handed lever could improve safety for all cyclists. “By using both brakes at once, you could prevent the possibility of flying over the handlebars and ending up with an injury.”
The students are hoping to sell the patent to a major company.It may be used in other devices that require two hands for operation. The bike brake lever was designed with the aim of ______.
| A．taking part in a contest |
| B．making the inventors famous |
| C．helping the disabled bike more safely |
| D．helping general people bike faster |
The James Dyson Award ________.
| A．is named after a famous university |
| B．helps winners marked their inventions |
| C．awards winners money |
| D．has a worldwide influnce |
From the text, we could infer that brake lever________.
| A．is only useful for disabled cyclists |
| B．also improves the bike′s speed |
| C．has already been widely used |
| D．will have a wide market in the future |
What′s the best title for the text?
| A．Student inventors win UK prize. |
| B．Awards aimed at students are established. |
| C．Bikes will be safer in the future. |
| D．The disabled gain more attention. |
Native English Teachers Wanted
Calilord International Bilingual Montessori Kindergarten, located in a high-level community in Changping District, Beijing, will open in September. If you′d like to share your experience and work in a most exciting place, come and join our school. We have a caring and loving environmemt for children, parents and staff .Our school has small-sized class and well-equipped classrooms. We hope that student, parents and teachers can unite to produce a top-quality childhood education.
Repuirements:
● Native English speaker
● Warm-hearted and creatvie
● Must be able to work for the complete school year
● TEFL(teaching English as a foreign language) qualified
● BA (Bachelor of Arts) degree
● Preferably at least one year′s childhood teaching experience in China
Compensation(待遇):
We offer a competitive salary starting from RMB 5,000 to RMB 10,000 per month, plus medical benefits, life insurance and paid time off.
We also prvide a free furnished apartment, one return flight a year between your country and China, and a performance bonus(绩效奖金)if your contract is renewed after one year.
Contact:
To apply for this teaching job, please send an email to hr.calilord@hotmail.com. Only qualified applicants will be called for an interview.
Notes:
● Please, no phone calls about this job!
● Please do not contact the job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.
Recruiting Team
Calilord Culture ﹠ Education Consulting Co. Ltd. The main purpose of the text is to _______.
| A．find cooperators |
| B．employ native speakers as English teachers |
| C．attract more kids to the kindergarten |
| D．ensure parents of a high quality education |
According to the text, who is most suitable for this post?
| A．Laura,from France, with a BA degree, who has worked in Tianjin for three years. |
| B．Hirai,from Tokyo, who has one-year teaching experince in a kindergarten in Beijing. |
| C．Susan,from New York,who is kind and energertic,and has worked in Shanghai for six months. |
| D．Jimmy,from London, who has two-year teaching experience in a kindergarten in Wuhan. |
All of the following are offered by the post EXCEPT_______.
| A．paid leave |
| B．professional training |
| C．a good salary |
| D．free accommodation |
To apply for the job, you must ______.
| A．email the kindergarten and visit it in person |
| B．prepare for an interview if you′re qualified |
| C．phone the kindergarten for details |
| D．contact the head office directly |