Can you believe your eyes? A recent experiment suggests that the answer to that question may depend on your age.
Martin Doherty, a psychologist at the University of Stirling in Scotland, led the team of scientists. In this experiment, Doherty and his team tested the perception(观察力) of some people, using pictures of some orange circles. The researchers showed the same pictures to two groups of people. The first group included 151 children aged 4 to 10, and the second group included 24 adults aged 18 to 25.
The first group of pictures showed two circles alone on a white background. One of the circles was larger than the other, and these people were asked to identify the larger one. Four-year-olds identified the correct circle 79 percent of the time. Adults identified the correct circle 95 percent of the time.
Next, both groups were shown a picture where the orange circles, again of different sizes, were surrounded by gray circles. Here’s where the trick lies in. In some of the pictures, the smaller orange circle was surrounded by even smaller gray circles — making the orange circle appear larger than the other orange circle, which was the real larger one. And the larger orange circle was surrounded by even bigger gray circles — so it appeared to be smaller than the real smaller orange circle.
When young children aged 4 to 6 looked at these tricky pictures, they weren’t fooled—they were still able to find the bigger circle with roughly the same accuracy as before. Older children and adults, on the other hand, did not do as well. Older children often identified the smaller circle as the larger one, and adults got it wrong most of the time.
As children get older, Doherty said, their brains may develop the ability to identify visual context. In other words, they will begin to process the whole picture at once: the tricky gray circles, as well as the orange circle in the middle. As a result, they’re more likely to fall for this kind of visual trick.Doherty and his team of scientists did an experiment to evaluate .
A.children’s and adults’ eye-sight |
B.people’s ability to see accurately |
C.children’s and adults’ brains |
D.the influence of people’s age |
When asked to find the larger circle,________.
A.children at 6 got it wrong 79 % of the time with no gray ones around |
B.only adults over 18 got it right 95% of the time with gray ones around |
C.children at 4 got it right about 79 % of the time with gray ones around |
D.adults got it right most of the time with gray ones around |
According to the passage, we can know that________.
A.a smaller orange circle appears bigger on a white background |
B.an orange circle appears bigger than a gray one of the same size |
C.a circle surrounded by other circles looks bigger than its real size |
D.a circle surrounded by bigger ones looks smaller than its real size |
Visual context may work when children get older than________.
A.4 | B.6 | C.10 | D.18 |
Why are younger children not fooled?
A.Because they are smarter than older children and adults. |
B.Because older people are influenced by their experience. |
C.Because people’s eyes become weaker as they grow older. |
D.Because their brain can hardly notice related things together. |
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis was one of the most private women in the world, yet when she went to work as an editor in the last two decades of her life, she revealed (展现) herself as she did nowhere else.
After the death of her second husband, Greek shipping magnate(巨头) Aristotie Onassis Jacqueline’s close friend and former White House secretary Letitia Baldrige made a suggestion that she consider a career in publishing. After consideration, Jacqueline accepted it. Perhaps she hoped to find there some ideas about how to live her own life .She became not less but more interested in reading. For the last 20 years of her life, Jacqueline worked as a publisher’s editor, first at Viking, then at Doubleday, pursuing(追求)a late-life career longer than her two marriages combined. During her time in publishing, she was responsible for managing and editing more than 100 successfully marketed books. Among the first books were In the Russian Style and Inventive Paris Clothes. She also succeeded in persuading TV hosts Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell to transform their popular television conversations into a book ,The Power of Myth. The book went on to become an international best-seller. She dealt, too, with Michael Jackson as he prepared his autobiography(自传),Moonwalk.
Jaequeliner may have been hired for her name and for her social relations, but she soon proved her worth. Her choices, suggestions and widespread social relations were of benefit both to the publishing firms and to Jacqueline herself. In the books she selected for publication, she built on a lifetime of spending time by herself as a reader and left a record of the growth of her mind. Her books are the autobiography she never wrote. Her role as First lady, in the end, was overshadowed by her performance as an editor. However, few knew that she had achieved so much.We can learn from the passage that Jacqueline ______.
A.became fond of reading after working as an editor |
B.was in charge of publishing 100 books |
C.promoted her books through social relations![]() |
D.gained a lot from her career as an editor |
The underlined sentence in the last paragraph probably means that ______.
A.Jacqueline ended up as an editor rather than as First Lady |
B.Jacqueline’s life as First Lady was more colorful than as an editor |
C.Jacqueline was more successful as an editor than as First Lady |
D.Jacqueline’s role as First Lady was more brilliant than as an editor |
What can be inferred from the passage?
A.Jacqueline’s two marriages lasted more than 20 years |
B.Jacqueline’s own publishing firm was set up eventually |
C.Jacqueline’s views and beliefs were reflected in the books she edited |
D.Jacqueline’s achievements were widely known |
The passage is mainly ______.
A.an introduction of Jacqueline’s life both as First Lady and as an editor. |
B.a brief description of Jacqueline’s lifelong experiences. |
C.a brief account of Jacqueline’s career as an editor in her last 20 years. |
D.an analysis of Jacqueline’s social relations in publishing |
Far from the land of Antarctica (南极洲), a huge shelf of ice meets the ocean. At the underside of the shelf there lives a small fish, the Antarctic cod.
For forty years scientists have been curious about that fish. How does it live where most fish would freeze to death? It must have some secret. The Antarctic is not a comfortable place to work and research has been slow. Now it seems we have an answer. Research was begun by cutting holes in the ice and catching the fish. Scientists studied the fish’s blood and measured its freezing point. The fish were taken from seawater that had a temperature of -1.88°C and many tiny pieces of ice floating in it. The blood of the fish did not begin to freeze until its temperature was lowered to -2.05°C. That small difference is enough for the fish to live at the freezing temperature of the ice-salt mixture.
The scientists’ next research job was clear: Find out what in the fish’s blood kept it from freezing. Their search led to some really strange thing made up of a protein (蛋白质) never before seen in the blood of a fish. When it was removed, the blood froze at seawater temperature. When it was put back, the blood again had its antifreeze quality and a lowered freezing point.
Study showed that it is an unusual kind of protein. It has many small sugar molecules held in special positions within each big protein molecule. Because of its sugar content, it is called a glycoprotein. So it has come to be called the antifreeze fish glycoprotein, or AFGP. What is the text mainly about?
A.The terrible conditions in the Antarctic. | B.A special fish living in freezing waters. |
C.The ice shelf around Antarctica. | D.Protection of the Antarctic cod. |
Why can the Antarctic cod live at the freezing temperature?
A. The seawater has a temperature of -1.88°C. B. it loves to live in the ice-salt mixture
C. A special protein keeps it from freezing.
D. Its blood has a temperature lower than -2.05°C.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 5 refer to?
A.A type of ice-salt mixture. | B.A newly found protein. |
C.Fish blood. | D.Sugar molecule. |
What does “glyco-” in the underlined word “glycoprotein” in the last paragraph mean?
A.sugar | B.ice | C.blood | D.molecule |
With only about 1, 000 pandas left in the world, China is desperately trying to clone the animal and save the endangered species. That’s a move similar to what a Texas A & M University researchers have been undertaking for the past five years in a project called “Noah’s Ark”.
Noah’s Ark is aimed at collecting eggs, embryos(胚胎), semen and DNA of endangered animals and storing them in liquid nitrogen. If certain species should become extinct, Dr. Duane Kraemer, a professor in Texas A & M’s College of Veterinary Medicine, says there would be enough of the basic building blocks to reintroduce the species in the future.
It is estimated that as many as 2, 000 species of mammals, birds, reptiles will become extinct in over 100 years. The panda, native only to China, is in danger of becoming extinct in the next 25 years.
This week, Chinese scientists said they grew an embryo by introducing cells from a dead female panda into the egg cells of a Japanese white rabbit. They are now trying to implant the embryo into a host animal. The entire procedure could take from three to five years to complete.
“The nuclear transfer of one species to another is not easy, and the lack of available(capable of being used) panda eggs could be a major problem,” Kraemer believes. “They will probably have to do several hundred transfers to result in one pregnancy (having a baby). It takes a long time and it’s difficult, but this could be groundbreaking science if it works. They are certainly not putting any live pandas at risk, so it is worth the effort,” adds Kraemer, who is one of the leaders of the Project at Texas A & M, the first-ever attempt at cloning a dog.
“They are trying to do something that’s never been done, and this is very similar to our work in Noah’s Ark. We’re both trying to save animals that face extinction. I certainly appreciate their effort and there’s a lot we can learn from what they are attempting to do. It’s a research that is very much needed.” The aim of “Noah’s Ark” project is to _______.
A.make efforts to clone the endangered pandas | B.save endangered animals from dying out |
C.collect DNA of endangered animals to study | D.transfer the nuclear of one animal to another |
According to Professor Kraemer, the major problem in cloning pandas would be the lack of _______.
A.available panda eggs | B.host animals | C.qualified researchers | D.enough money |
The best title for the passage may be _______.
A.China’s Success in Pandas Cloning | B.The First Cloned Panda in the World |
C.Exploring the Possibility to Clone Pandas | D.China —the Native Place of Pandas Forever |
From the passage we know that _______.
A.Kraemer and his team have succeeded in cloning a dog |
B.scientists try to implant a panda’s egg into a rabbit |
C.Kraemer will work with Chinese scientists in clone researches |
D.about two thousand of species will probably die out in a century |
Some of the best-known names in the entertainment industry have taken part in an unprecedented telethon to help victims of the terrorist attacks in the United States.
The benefit(义演), called “America: a Tribute to Heroes,” was sponsored by all four major U.S television networks, ABC,CBS, FOIX and NBC. It was broadcast by three-dozen television, cable and radio networks across the country and aired live to more than a hundred countries around the world.
Hollywood stars joined music entertainers in asking listeners and viewers to pledge cash donations to charities helping the victims of the September 11th attacks.
Actors, including Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, tom Cruise and Clint Eastwood, told stories of heroic acts by people who tried to save others from the burning World trade Center and the Pentagon. Former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali made a rare public appearance in show of support. The appeals alternated with performances by such popular entertainers a Bruce Springsteen, Mariah Carey, Steve Wonder, Paul Simon and the rock band U—2. They appeared on stages in New York, Los Angeles and London, decorated with hundreds of burning candles.
Singer Billy Joel sang “ New York State of Mind” with a New York City firefighter’s hat on his piano. Sting dedicated his song “ Gragile” to a friend who died in the World Trade Center. Stevie Wonder condemned hatred in the name of religion before singing his song “ Love’s in Need of Love today”. Pledge phones were manned by dozens of other celebrities, including Jack Nicholson, Meg Ryan, Whoopic Goldberg, Cindy Crawford, Al Pacino and Sylvester Stallone.
Organizers say the two-hour telethon raised millions of dollars. All participants, from stars to stagehands, worked without pay.Those who appeared on stages were ______.
A.some best-known names in the USA |
B.some famous singer, film stars and other music entertainers |
C.People who tried to save others from the burning World trade Center and the Pentagon. |
D.Former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali and Hollywood stars |
The underlined word “ telethon” most probably means ______.
A.a performance to raise money |
B.a concert held by some television networks |
C.a television program which lasts a long time |
D.a television program for entertainment |
Which of the following statements is true?
A.Four major U.S. television networks broadcast the benefit |
B.The former heavy weight champion Muhammad Ali sang a song to show his support |
C.Billy Joel, wearing a firefighter’s hat, played the piano for the listeners and viewers |
D.The organizers, stars and people who worked for the benefit didn’t get any money for themselves. |
The best title for the news report is ______.
A.U.S Telethon Raises Money for Attack Victims |
B.Best-known names Pledge Donations |
C.Seeking More Support |
D.More People Join |
At the time, I would go out in the evening with my parents. But this time I had borrowed a bicycle from a friend of mine. I didn’t know why, but once I was on my own bicycle, a kind of free feeling flooded through me. The faster I rode, the faster I wanted to go! Far ahead, I rode as if my life depended on it, head down, hands grasping the handbars. I meant to get to Jinghai Bar as fast as I could....
Oh! My hands! Don’t come any closer... . Don’t touch me! That poor doctor just couldn’t get my gloves off. Each time he took a step towards me, I broke into painful shouting. Much later, I discovered that I had crashed heavily with another bicycle, and I hadn’t spoken one word of sense for at least three hours! After some time, my mother arrived at the hospital, her face as white as a sheet, and gave me a hug, only then did the doctor begin to stitch(缝合) my head wound, not only did he merrily cut off a long lock of my hair, but used no anaesthetic(麻药) either! Later, I seemed to hear faraway voices saying that my right hand was broken. I almost burst into tears. How would I ever play the piano again?On her way to Jinghai, the writer felt _______.
A.nervous | B.comfortable | C.light-hearted | D.upset |
Why did the writer ride a bicycle to Jinghai Bar that evening?
A.Because she wanted to attend a party on time. |
B.Because she wanted to meet her friend who was waiting for her there. |
C.Because she just wanted, to join some of her friends and drink some wine. |
D.We are not quite sure about what she was really going there for. |
What did the writer think of the doctor?
A.Friendly. | B.Cruel. | C.Hardworking. | D.Kind. |
One thing is sure, that is, before she was wounded she _______.
A.often went to Jinghai Bar with her friends |
B.liked playing the piano |
C.didn’t like any doctors at all |
D.would burst into tears when she was in trouble |