GUATEMALA CITY （Reuters） – A fish that lives in mangrove swamps（红树沼泽）across the Americas can live out of water for months at a time, similar to how animals adapted（适应）to land millions of years ago, a new study shows.
The Magrove Rivulus, a type of small killifish, lives in small pools of water in a certain type of empty nut or even old beer cans in the mangrove swamps of Belize, the United States and Brazil. When their living place dries up, they live on the land in logs（圆木），said Scott Taylor, a researcher at the Brevard Endangered Lands Program in Florida.
The fish, whose scientific name is Rivulus marmoratus, can grow as large as three inches. They group together in logs and breathe air through their skin until they can find water again.
The new scientific discovery came after a trip to Belize. “We kicked over a log and the fish just came crowding out,” Taylor told Reuters in neighboring Guatgemala by telephone. He said he will make his study on the fish known to the public in an American magazine early next year.
In lab tests, Taylor said he found the fish can live up to 66 days out of water without eating.
Some other fish can live out of water for a short period of time. The walking catfish found in Southeast Asia can stay on land for hours at time, while lungfish found in Australia, Africa and South America can live out of water, but only in an inactive state. But no other known fish can be out of water as long as the Mangrove Rivulus and remain active, according to Patricia Wright, a biologist at Canada’s University of Guelph.
Further studies of the fish may tell how animals changed over time.
“These animals live in conditions similar to those that existed millions of years ago, when animals began making the transition（过渡）from water onto land,” Wright said. The Mangrove Rivulus is a type of fish that _______.
| A．likes eating nuts |
| B．prefers living in dry places |
| C．is the longest living fish on earth |
| D．can stay alive for two months out of water |
Who will write up a report on Mangrove Rivulus?
| A．Patricia Wright | B．Researchers in Guatemala |
| C．Scientists from Belize | D．Scott Taylor |
According to the text, lungfish can________
| A．breathe through its skin |
| B．move freely on dry land |
| C．remain alive out of water |
| D．be as active on land as in water |
What can we say about the discovery of Mangrove Rivulus?
| A．It was made quite by accident |
| B．It was based on a lab test of sea life |
| C．It was supported by an American magazine |
| D．It was helped by Patricia Wright |
Two Chinese farmers who became an overnight sensation(轰动) when their heartrending version of a famous pop song appeared on the Internet took to the stage in front of thousands of fans in Shanghai last Saturday.
Wang Xu,44，and Liu Gang,29，sang “In the Spring” alongside the song's star composer Wang Feng，in front of about 80,000 people at the Shanghai Stadium.
The audience buzzed with excitement and let out deafening cheers，the moment as they were introduced on the stage and then when Liu started the first sentence of their parts of the song.
The two migrant workers became stars after singing the tearjerker(催人泪下) song during an evening drinking session in a 6squaremeter rented room in a late August evening. A friend recorded the performance on a cell phone and posted it on the Internet.
“If someday I am dead，please bury me in the spring，” they sing. Wang's penetrating chorus，delivered with his eyes closed，has moved thousands to tears.
Wang and Liu consider the song a true portrait of lower-class groups like themselves.
“With no credit card，no girlfriend，or a home with hot water，but only a guitar，I am singing happily，on streets，under bridges or in the wild country，though nobody pays attention to the music，” they sing.
To support his wife and two sons，Wang came to Beijing in 2000 from the countryside and has worked as a boiler man，and street peddler，before becoming a medical warehouse keeper，with a monthly pay of around 1,500 yuan. Little is left after he pays 600 yuan for rent and buys food.
Liu came to Beijing in 2002.“I want to try my luck in the big city，” he said. He had worked as a guard，roadside peddler，and porter，but never had a stable job. Street performing was his main income，even after he married and became a father three years ago.
Wang and Liu are still uncertain where their fame will lead. Wang has started learning to use a computer. They even have a microblog(微博) account to communicate with fans.Wang Xu and Liu Gang first became nationally known after ______.
| A．they sang the song “In the Spring” with a star composer Wang Feng |
| B．the video of them singing “In the Spring” was posted on the Internet |
| C．they sang on streets and under bridges |
| D．they started their microblog |
People like Wang and Liu's version of “In the Spring” because ______.
| A．they sang the song better than other singers |
| B．they were introduced to the public by the song writer himself |
| C．it was specially composed for them two |
| D．it is a heartfelt expression of the two singers as migrant workers |
It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
| A．migrant workers' conditions will be improved soon |
| B．they will learn to write songs on computers |
| C．a song showing people's real life and feelings is more likely to be accepted |
| D．singers from migrant workers are more likely to become popular |
The best possible title for the passage is ________.
| A．Internet Farmer Stars Make Stage Appearance |
| B．“In the Spring”-A Touching Song |
| C．A Successful Internet Performance |
| D．No Pains，No Gains |
You know eating fruit and vegetables does good. But do you know it can also make you look good? People who increased their intake over just six weeks developed a healthy glow and appeared more attractive, researchers found. Scientists at St Andrews University found eating them slightly increased yellow and red pigments in the volunteers' skin. They monitored the food intake of 35 people and took pictures of their faces, arms and hands using a sensitive camera at the start, and after three and six weeks. Increasing their intake of greens by 2.9 portions a day was found to make the person look healthier and an extra 3.3 portion could enhance their attractiveness, when their photographs were rated by others.
Fruit and vegetables are rich in carotenoids (类胡萝卜素)，which are known to protect against cell damage from pollution and UV rays, and can also prevent age-related diseases including heart disease and cancer. But while it was known eating extreme amounts of certain vegetables such as carrots could turn skin orange ，it was not known a small increase was perceptible(被觉察）to others - and was seen as appealing.
A camera measured changes to the skin's redness, yellowness and lightness, and found it significantly changed in people who naturally increased their intake. These changes were not evident in three weeks. Using light sensors, the researchers showed these red and yellow hues were linked with the levels of carotenoids in their skin. There are hundreds of carotenoids but those thought to have the most dramatic effect are lycopene(番茄红素)-which gives tomatoes and red peppers their red colour - and beta-carotene found in carrots as well as broccoli, squash, and spinach. Skin colour is also affected by chemicals called polyphenols（多元酚)，found in apples, blueberries and cherries, which cause blood rush to the skin surface.What do we know from the research?
| A．If you take in a little more fruit and vegetables, you will obviously look more attractive in three weeks. |
| B．The researchers took the pictures of the 35 people in the research at different stages. |
| C．Increasing your intake of greens by 2.9 portions a day can greatly improve your health. |
| D．People who increased their intake of greens by 3.3 portions a day were found the most attractive after six weeks. |
Which of the following is NOT the function of carotenoids？
| A．They can protect against cell damage from pollution and UV rays. |
| B．They can prevent heart disease and cancer. |
| C．They can prevent age-related diseases. |
| D．They can keep you in good health. |
Which of the statements is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
| A．We've already known eating extreme amounts of carrots can turn skin orange. |
| B．We knew in the past that eating a few more carrots could make us look appealing. |
| C．The research showed the improvement in skin is linked with the levels of carotenoids in it |
| D．Among hundreds of carotenoids, lycopene is thought to have the most dramatic effect on the skin. |
We can infer from the passage that _____
| A．Skin's redness, yellowness and lightness make a person look more healthy and attractive. |
| B．Carotenoids have the same effect as lycopene. |
| C．It is carotenoids that give tomatoes and red peppers their red colour. |
| D．Both beta-carotene and polyphenols affect skin colour by causing blood rush to the skin surface. |
Which can be the best title of the passage?
| A．Eating fruit and vegetables does good . |
| B．Fruit and vegetables are rich in carotenoids. |
| C．How to become attractive. |
| D．Eating fruit and vegetables makes you look good |
Driving to a friend's house on a recent evening, I was attracted by the sight of the full moon rising just above my friend’s rooftops. I stopped to watch it for a few moments, thinking about what a pity it was that most city people, myself included usually miss sights like this because we spend most of our lives indoors.
My friend had also seen it. He grew up living in a forest in Europe, and the moon meant a lot to him then. It had touched much of his life.
I know the feeling. Last December I took my seven-year-old daughter to the mountainous jungle of northern India with some friends. We stayed in a forest rest-house with no electricity or running hot water. Our group had campfires outside every night, and indoors when it was too cold outside. The moon grew to its fullest during our trip. Between me and the high mountains lay three or four valleys. Not a light shone in them and not a sound could be heard. It was one of the quietest places I have ever known, a bottomless well of silence. And above me was the full moon, which struck me deeply.
Today our lives are filled with glass, metal, plastic and fiber-glass. We have televisions, cell phones, pagers, electricity, heaters and ovens and air-conditioners, cars, computers.
Struggling through traffic that evening at the end of a tiring day, most of it spent indoors, I thought: before long, I would like to live in a small cottage. There I will grow vegetables and read books and walk in the mountains And perhaps write, but not in anger. I may become an old man there, and wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled and measure out my life in coffee spoons. But I will be able to walk outside on a cold silent night and touch the moon.The best title for the passage would be______.
| A．Touched by the moon |
| B．The pleasures of modern life |
| C．A bottomless well of silence |
| D．Break away from modern life |
The writer felt sorry for himself because________.
| A．there was too much pollution |
| B．he failed to see the fullest moon |
| C．he didn’t adapt to modern inventions |
| D．there were too accidents on the road |
What impressed the writer most in the mountainous jungle of northern India?
| A．No modern equipment | B．Complete silence. |
| C．The nice moonlight | D．The high mountains |
Modern things (Paragraph 4) are mentioned mainly to______.
| A．show that the writer likes city life very much |
| B．tell us that people greatly benefit from modern life |
| C．explain that people have fewer chances to enjoy nature |
| D．show that we can also enjoy nature at home through them |
The author wrote the passage to_______.
A.A. express the feeling of returning to nature
B. show the love for the moonlight
C. advise modern people to learn to live
D. want to communicate longing for modern life
When you get in your car, you reach for it. When you're at work, you take a break to have a moment alone with it. When you get into a lift, you play with it.
Cigarette? Cup of coffee? No, it's the third most addictive thing in modern life, the cell phone. And experts say it is becoming more difficult for many people to curb their longing to hug it more tightly than most of their personal relationships.
The costs are becoming more and more evident, and I don't mean just the monthly bill. Dr. Chris Knippers, a counselor at the Betty ford Center in Southern California, reports that the overuse of cell phones has become a social problem not much different from other harmful addictions: a barrier to one-on-one personal contact, and an escape from reality. Sounds extreme, but we' ve all witnessed the evidence: The person at a restaurant who talks on the phone through an entire meal, ignoring his kids around the table; the woman who talks on the phone in the car, ignoring her husband; the teen who texts messages all the way home from school, avoiding contact with kids all around him. Jim Williams, an industrial sociologist based in Massachusetts, notes that cell - phone addiction is part of a set of symptoms in a widening gulf of personal separation. He points to a study by Duke University researchers that found one-quarter of Americans say they have no one to discuss their most important personal business with. Despite the growing use of phones, e - mail and instant messaging, in other words, Williams says studies show that we don't have as many friends as our parents." Just as more information has led to less wisdom, more acquaintances via the Internet and cell phones have produced fewer friends," he says.
If the cell phone has truly had these effects, it's because it has become very widespread. Consider that in 1987, there were only l million cell phones in use. Today, something like 300 million Americans carry them. They far outnumber wired phones in the United States.From the first two paragraphs, we can know ________.
| A．cell phones have become as addictive as cigarettes |
| B．cell phone addiction is good for building personal relationships |
| C．people are longing to have their own cell phones |
| D．cell phones are the same as cigarettes |
Cell phone addiction has caused the following effects EXCEPT_________
| A．a barrier to personal contact |
| B．fewer friends |
| C．an escape from reality |
| D．a serious illness |
The underlined word "curb" in Paragraph 2 means________.
| A．ignore | B．control | C．develop | D．rescue |
The example of a woman talking on the phone in the car supports the idea that__________.
| A．women use cell phones more often than men |
| B．talking on the phone while driving is dangerous |
| C．cell phones do not necessarily bring people together |
| D．cell phones make one - on - one personal contact easy |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．Cell phones are the New Cigarettes |
| B．Cell phones are harmful to the Society |
| C．The New Report about the Cell phone |
| D．The Disadvantages of the Cell phone |
Why should mankind explore space? Why should money, time and effort be spent exploring and researching something with so few apparent benefits? Why should resources be spent on space rather than on conditions and people on Earth? These are questions that, understandably, are very often asked.
Perhaps the best answer lies in our genetic makeup (基因构成) as human beings. What drove our ancestors to move from the trees into the plains, and on into all possible areas and environments? The wider the spread of a species, the better its chance of survival. Perhaps the best reason for exploring space is this genetic tendency to expand wherever possible.
Nearly every successful civilization has explored, because by doing so, any dangers in surrounding areas can be identified and prepared for. Without knowledge, we may be completely destroyed by the danger. With knowledge, we can lessen its effects.
Exploration also allows minerals and other potential (潜在的) resources to be found. Even if we have no immediate need of them, they will perhaps be useful later. Resources may be more than physical possessions. Knowledge or techniques have been acquired through exploration. The techniques may have medical applications which can improve the length or quality of our lives. We have already benefited from other spin-offs including improvements in earthquake prediction, in satellites for weather forecasting and in communications systems. Even non-stick pans and mirrored sunglasses are by-products (副产品) of technological developments in the space industry!
While many resources are spent on what seems a small return, the exploration of space allows creative, brave and intelligent members of our species to focus on what may serve to save us. While space may hold many wonders and explanations of how the universe was formed or how it works, it also holds dangers．The danger exists, but knowledge can help human being to survive. Without the ability to reach out across space, the chance to save ourselves might not exist.
While Earth is the only planet known to support life, surely the adaptive ability of humans would allow us to live on other planets. It is true that the lifestyle would be different, but human life and cultures have adapted in the past and surely could in the future.Why does the author mention the questions in Paragraph1?
| A．To express his doubts. |
| B．To compare different ideas. |
| C．To introduce points for discussion. |
| D．To describe the conditions on Earth. |
What is the reason for exploring space based on Paragraph2?
| A．Humans are nature-born to do so. |
| B．Humans have the tendency to fight. |
| C．Humans may find new sources of food. |
| D．Humans don’t like to stay in the same place. |
What makes it possible for humans to live on other planets?
| A．Our genetic makeup. |
| B．Resources on the earth. |
| C．The adaptive ability of humans. |
| D．By-products in space exploration. |