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 Californina decided to study the ability of animals to keep the beat.
Bird lovers have long claimed that their pets have rhyhm, and there are many videos of dancing birds online. Until now, scie
ntists 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 Instiute in San Diego. After seeing Snowbaill’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 about 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.
63.The underlined words “that scientific opinion” in the third paragraph refers 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
64.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 dandcing 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.
65.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
66.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 thd 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
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Basic Photography
This is an eight-hour course for beginners who want to learn how to use a 35mm camera. The teacher will cover such areas as kinds of film, light, and lenses(镜头). Bring your own 35mm camera to the class.
Course Charge: $150
Jan. 10, 12, 17, 19, Tues. & Thurs. 6-8p.m.
Marianne Adams is a professional photographer whose photographs appear in many magazines.
Understanding Computers
This twelve-hour course is for people who don’t know very much about computers, but who need to learn about them. You will learn what computers are, what they can and can’t do, and how to use them.
Course Charge: $75
Equipment Charge: $10
Jan. 7, 14, 21, 28, Sat. 9-12 a.m.
Joseph Saimders is a professor of computer science at New Urban University. He has over twelve years of experience in the computer field.
Stop Smoking
Do you want to stop smoking? Have you already tried to stop and failed? Now it is the time to stop smoking using the latest methods. You can stop smoking, and this twelve-hour course will help you do it.
Course Charge: $30
Jan. 4, 11, 18, 25 Mon. 4-7 p.m.
Dr.John Goode is a practicing psychologist(心理学家)who has helped hundreds of people stop smoking.
Typing
This course on weekdays is for those who want to type as well as those who want to improve their typing. You are tested in the first class and practice at one of eight different skill levels. This allows you to learn at your own speed. Each program lasts 20 hours. Bring your own paper.
Course Charge: $125
Materials Charge: $25
Two hours each evening for two weeks.
This course is taught by a number of business education teachers who have successfully taught typing courses before.
64. The word “professional” in the first advertisement most probably means “_____”
A. spiritual B. journalist C. professor D. experienced
65. The shortest course is _____.
A. Basic Photography B. Understanding Computers C. Stop Smoking D. Typing
66. A course which can do something good for your health will cost____.
A. $50 B.$30 C.$10 D.$125
67. There are typing courses_____.
A. on Saturdays and Sundays B. from Monday to Friday
C. from Monday to Saturday D. on each day in the week
Students often meet with questions as follows: bullied by someone, worried about a weak subject, puzzled by family problems or concerned about pets at home. All the questions above may make you not concentrated on your study. Who can you turn to if you are such an unlucky student? A great person to share your thoughts and feelings with is your school counselor(顾问).
Add school counselors to the list of people you can turn to when you need help. They know how to listen and can help kids with life’s challenges (挑战) . Counselors have special training in how to help kids solve problems, make decisions, and stand up for themselves. That doesn’t means your counselor will wave a magic wand and the problem will go away. But it does mean he or she will help you cope with (应付) it. Coping is an important word to know. Sometimes, kids and grown-ups have difficult problems. Coping means that someone is trying to handle these problems and make things better.
Your school counselor is available for you and wants to make your school experience the best it can be. The counselor’s job is to take your problem seriously and help you find a solution. The counselor also wants to help you learn as much as you can in class, be a contributing member of the school community, and be a positive influence on your environment.
60. From the underlined sentences we may infer that ______.
A. school counselor is one of those who can help you
B. school counselors are those you can make friends with
C. one needs various people to help him or her
D. one has to know and deal with all kinds of people at school
61. According to the passage, which of the following happens that you may not turn to the counselors?
A. Other students treat you cruelly. B. You are too poor to go school
C. You are weak in one subject D. You have family problems.
62. What does the writer think of the school counselors?
A. They can solve any question you meet with
B. They can help students get their life or study improved.
C. They are as important as teachers at school.
D. They may punish those who have bullied you
63. Which of the following may be the best title of the passage? _____.
A. School counselors B. School problems C. Students’ problems D. Free counselors
III .阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）
第一节：阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。（共10小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
Happiness is associated with smiling . But do we always smile when we are happy?
During the Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992, Spanish researchers were surprised to see that these medal winners didn’t smile very much. In fact, throughout the different medal ceremonies, they only smiled about 10 percent of the time. But during the brief moment when the gold medal was put around their neck, the medal winners grinned (露齿笑) about 70% of the time.
The researchers interviewed winners they had watched to find out how they felt. All the winners interviewed said that they felt intensely happy throughout the ceremony.
Though they were profoundly happy , they didn’t smile a great deal .The researchers concluded that smiling was not the automatic expression of happiness. The fact that the gold medal winners smiled much more when they were actually being given their medals could be explained because, according to the Spanish researchers, smiling was a form of communication between individuals. The happy athletes were smiling at the people who were giving them gold medals.
Perhaps we can support the findings of Spanish researchers by making some observations of our own behaviors. When we are all alone, for example, do we smile at ourselves when we are happy? Probably not very often. If someone greets us with a friendly smile, do we respond with a smile? Yes , we probably do. When a friend gives us a beautiful present, will we show our appreciation with a smile? Yes , of course . But if we are sitting alone watching television, do we smile at a commentator (讲解员) who smiles at us?
56. How much of the time did the gold medal winners smile during the medal ceremonies?
A.10% B.70% C.22% D.92%
57. According to the passage , when did the athletes smile quite a lot ?
A. Throughout the medal ceremony.
B. When they were informed of their success
C. When the gold medal was put around their neck
D. When their national flag was raised
58. According to the passage, on which of the following occasions would we most probably Not smile?
A. When we are sitting alone watching TV
B. When someone greets us with a friendly smile.
C. When a friend gives us a beautiful present.
D. When we feel intensely happy
59. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.The gold medal winners were too nervous that they would hardly smile at the medal ceremonies
B. People will always smile automatically when they feel happy
C. Smiling is a way of communication
D. When the gold medal was put around their neck, the gold medal winners were smiling at the audience but not at all those who gave medal.
HOLLYWOOD history has been made now that Kathryn Bigelow has become the first female to win a Best Director Oscar. “There’s no other way to describe it, it’s the moment of a lifetime,” said 58-year-old Bigelow excitedly, at the awards ceremony in Los Angeles.
Bigelow’s film, The Hurt Locker (《拆弹部队》), swept the awards with six trophies, including Best Director and Best Picture. The movie about a bomb removal unit in the Iraq War beat Avatar, the highest grossing (票房收入) film of all time, to the major awards. This was sweetened by the fact that Avatar’s director, James Cameron, is her ex-husband.
Bigelow played down (淡化) her success, telling CBS, “There’s really no difference between what I do and what a male filmmaker might do. I mean we all try to make our days, we all try to give the best performances we can, we try to make our budget, we try to make the best movie we possibly can. So in that sense it’s very similar.”
However, Bigelow’s cinematic journey is quite different from the path of female directors before her. Her movies are low on female characters and high on guns and steel. They focus on men: their fears, relationships and rites of passage (成长历程).
Point Break was her breakout film in 1991. The action film tells the story of an FBI agent who goes undercover (卧底) to investigate a gang of bank robbers. It was popular because of its strong but flawed (有缺点的) male characters. The Hurt Locker is in the same style. The war film is about an anti-hero, William James, leading a crew of competing men in removing roadside bombs around Iraq. James is addicted to risk taking and enjoys putting his fellow soldiers in constant danger. Many scenes are full of clashing (冲突的) male personalities.
Focusing on these male relationships, critics praised The Hurt Locker for avoiding obvious political statements (something Avatar was heavily criticized for), and instead painting a truthful picture of modern war. And is there an entertaining end to the story of Bigelow’s victory? She won on International Women’s Day. It is, after all, Hollywood.
52. Which of the following statements is FALSE according to the article?
A. Avatar is the most profitable film in history.
B. Bigelow is the first female director to win the Best Director Oscar.
C. Bigelow and James Cameron were once married.
D. The film The Hurt Locker tries to make strong political statements about the Iraq war.
53. What does the first sentence in Paragraph 6 mean?
A. Bigelow has a similar style to other female directors.
B. Bigelow usually wants to work with other females.
C. Unlike other female directors, Bigelow focuses on male topics.
D. Unlike other female directors, Bigelow has made other mistakes.
54. The text tells us that ________.
A. The Hurt Locker aims to show how men love danger and war
B. The Hurt Locker presents the clashes between male characters well
C. Bigelow was given the award because it was Women’s Day
D. Bigelow was proud of defeating a male director
55. The article is about _________.
A. the unique (独特的) style of the first woman to win the Oscar for best direction
B. what makes Bigelow different from other female director
C. the award-winning film Bigelow made
D. the Hurt Locker beating Avatar at the Oscar
How to Make the Most of Your Time
Time management is important in our daily life. There never seems to be enough hours in the day to accomplish all you need to do. Here are some tips that might be of some help to you.
1. Set up a plan. Go for a week at a time, and prioritize the most important ones. Include things you want to accomplish. Focus (关注) mostly on the things that are important to you.
2. Control your stress. No matter what kind of pressure mounts on you, try to keep cool. Stressing-out can lead to an early breakdown , which is definitely counter-productive (事与愿违) when you have a list of things to do. It’s easier to take a 10-minute break and cool off than work all week with built up stress.
3. Shut your door. When working under a schedule, perform your important tasks with your door shut to get them done. This will ensure a better quality time to get what needs to be done.
4. Focus on one thing at a time. Forget trying to multi-task! You will lose concentration and it will take you longer to accomplish what you set out to do.
5. Just say “no”. If you are constantly interrupted, and you really don’t have the time to help out, just say “no”. You’re only one person, and you can’t save the world by yourself!
6. Stop wasting time on the phone. While talking on the phone, keep your conversations short, and to the point and you’ll waste much less time.
7. Be realistic. You can only do what you can do. Don’t set out to accomplish the impossible. Do your best, but keep realistic expectations of yourself.
8. Relax. The most important thing is remember to take time to relax, and regroup. You need a break every now and then to keep working efficiently. Even if it’s a 10-minute walk, get away from your list and get refreshed.
As families today get busier and busier, it’s important to your own mental health to keep things on track. Don’t delay; get your life on order now.
48. What does the underlined word “prioritize” in Paragraph 2 mean?
A. choose something by thinking carefully.
B. recognize the difference between things.
C. put many things in order of importance
D. get rid of something that is unwanted
We should avoid stressing out because ________________.
A. it may cause us to fail to work efficiently
B. it may limit the speed to get things done
C. we don’t have enough energy to keep working
D. we are supposed to have a break while working
50. Which statement would the author agree to?
A. Try multi-tasks, and we can get more done.
B. It is impolite to refuse to help others at work.
C. Having breaks regularly may delay our tasks.
D. It is wise to be aware of what we can achieve.
51. By writing the text, the author would like to _______________.
A. ask readers to share their time management skills.
B. offer some advice on how to make full use of time
C. invite readers to discuss how to improve life quality
D. persuade readers to spend less time on daily routine