Every day we experience one of the wonders of the world around us without even realizing it. It is not the amazing complexity of television, nor the impressive technology of transport. The universal wonder we share and experience is our ability to make noise with our mouths, and so transmit ideas and thoughts to each other’s minds. This ability comes so naturally that we tend to forget what a miracle it is.
Obviously, the ability to talk is something that marks humans off from animal. Of course, some animals have powers just as amazing, Birds can fly thousands miles by observing positions of the stars in the sky in relation to the time of day and year. In Nature’s talent show, humans are a species of animal that have developed their own special act. If we reduce it to basic terms, it’s an ability for communicating information to others, by varying sounds we make as we breathe out.
Not that we don’t have other powers of communication. Our facial expressions convey our emotions, such as anger, or joy, or disappointment. The way we hold our heads can indicate to others whether we are happy or sad. This is so-called “body language”. Bristling(直立的) fur is an unmistakable warning of attack among many animals. Similarly, the bowed head or drooping tail shows a readiness to take second place in any animal gathering.
Such a means of communication is a basic mechanism that animals, including human beings, instinctively acquire and display. Is the ability to speak just another sort of instinct? If so, how did human beings acquire this amazing skill? Biologist can readily indicate that particular area of our brain where speech mechanisms function, but this doesn’t tell us how that part of our bodies originated in our biological history.According to the passage, the wonder we take for granted(认为理所当然) is________.
| A．our ability to use language |
| B．the miracle of technology |
| C．the amazing power of nature |
| D．our ability to make noises with mouth |
What feature of “body language” mentioned in the passage is common to both human and animals?
| A．Lifting heads when sad. |
| B．Keeping long faces when angry. |
| C．Bristling hair when ready to attack. |
| D．Bowing heads when willing to obey. |
What can be inferred from Paragraph 3?
| A．Body language is unique to humans. |
| B．Animals express emotions just as humans do. |
| C．Humans have other powers of communication. |
| D．Humans are no different from animals to some degree. |
This passage is mainly about _______.
| A．the development of body language. |
| B．the special role humans play in nature |
| C．the power to convey information to others |
| D．the difference between humans and animals in language use |
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。
By creating a distinctive username and reusing it on multiple websites，you may be giving online marketers and scammers a simple way to track you. Four researchers from The French National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control (INRIA) studied over 10 million usernames－collected from public Google profiles，eBay accounts，and several other sources. They found that about half of the usernames used on one site could be linked to another online profile，potentially allowing marketers and scammers to build a more complex picture of the users.
“These results show that some users can be profiled just from their usernames，” says Claude Castelluccia，research director of the security and privacy research group at INRIA，and one of the authors of a paper on the work.“More specifically，a profiler could use usernames to identify all the profiles that belong to the same user，and then use all the information contained in these sites to profile the victim.”
Those who have more unique usernames are more likely to be attacked. The INRIA researchers have created a tool that can check how unique a username is，and thus how easily an attacker could use it to build a profile of a person.
Researchers are exploring ways that the traces of data that people leave on different websites could be combined and used to track them. A 2010 paper showed that the online groups to which people belonged could be used to infer their real identity in 42 percent of cases.
Building profiles of consumers using online information has already become a major industry for marketers as well as online criminals.What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Look out for online criminals |
| B．Your username may betray you |
| C．Don't leave your traces online |
| D．A unique username is more attractive |
Online marketers may use your username to ________.
| A．get a picture of yours |
| B．steal from your online account |
| C．get useful information about you |
| D．find out your interest or hobbies |
The main purpose of the passage is probably to ________.
| A．warn us of the possible dangers of a unique username |
| B．tell us how to manage our online information |
| C．advise us on how to choose a proper username |
| D．tell us the importance of a username |
We can infer from the passage that ________.
| A．it's hard to build a profile of a person from an online username |
| B．it's better to use a more complex username online |
| C．an online username has little to do with the real person |
| D．we'd better not use the same username on different sites |
The underlined word “scammers” in Paragraph 1 most probably means ________.
| A．friends |
| B．criminals |
| C．victims |
| D．salesmen |
阅读理解
Migrations are one of the animal kingdom’s most widespread phenomena.They are seasonal tests of endurance，collective journeys often taken at great costs by birds，whales，land mammals，insects，and other creatures that are wired to travel.Scientists estimate that onethird to half of all animals—and even some microorganisms—migrate during part of their lives.
According to scientists, human actions are threatening many migrations.Habitat destruction，the creation of obstacles such as dams and fences，overexploitation of natural resources, and climate change are combining to make migrations increasingly difficult for many species.
Global warming，for example，is changing flowering times and other natural cycles，driving many birds and insects to move their ranges or arrive before or after their food sources have appeared. Many of the planet’s great migrations have already disappeared.
By increasing public awareness of the troubles of migratory animals and committing to the preservation not only of individual species but also their way of life，many migrations can still be saved.Migrations should be saved，if not for the absolute fear that seeing millions of animals moving with one purpose elicits，then for their ecological importance.
“What we really want to protect is the natural phenomenon of abundance，”Wilcove said.“If we wait until migrating animals are endangered，then we lose both the ecosystem benefits associated with their abundance and also the wonder and majesty(壮丽)of migrations.”
“It’s like global warming” he said.“You have to alert people，and after a while，the public knows about it and they do something about it.That’s when the big changes will come about.I think there’s absolute hope.”When animals begin to migrate，they will________.
| A．achieve it whatever is needed |
| B．spend half of their lives in migrating |
| C．make the journey in an individual way |
| D．adapt to the season at a fixed place |
Which of the following affects flowering times?
| A．Habitat destruction. |
| B．The building of dams. |
| C．Global warming. |
| D．The use of natural resources. |
Migrations should be saved because________.
| A．it is a pleasure to see millions of animals moving with one purpose |
| B．the way of individual species’ life should be protected |
| C．it is environmentally critical mass movement |
| D．the benefits of the ecosystem are connected with it |
The attitude of Wilcove towards saving migrations is ________.
| A．sympathetic |
| B．negative |
| C．suspicious |
| D．optimistic |
What’s the passage mainly about?
| A．Animals’ migrations need saving. |
| B．Global warming makes animals migrate more frequently. |
| C．Animals’ migrations are affected by their environment. |
| D．Migrating animals are reducing in numbers rapidly. |
阅读理解
Lack of water creates a survival problem for all desert animals.And animals can live only within a relatively narrow temperature range.For four or five months of the year，the daily temperatures in the desert may actually go beyond this range.So survival for desert animals is very difficult.
Fortunately，most desert animals have evolved (进化) to solve the heat and water problems the desert environment creates.
Take Phainopepla, a slim black bird for example. It breeds during the relatively cool spring，then leave the desert for cooler areas.Many birds are active only at dawn and within a few hours of sunset.Some birds，such as the kingbird，continue activity throughout the day，but always fly or sit in the shade.
A few desert animals，such as the Roundtailed Ground Squirrel，sleep away the hottest part of the summer.They also hibernate (冬眠) in winter to avoid the cold season.Some desert animals such as Desert Toads，stay deep under the ground until the summer rains fill ponds. They then come out from under the ground，breed，lay eggs and supply themselves with food and water for another long period.Some smaller desert animals make a hole below the surface of the soil or sand to escape the high temperatures at the desert surface.
Certain desert lizards (蜥蝎) are active during the hottest seasons，and move extremely rapidly over hot surfaces，stopping in cooler “islands” of shade.Even their legs may be longer so they absorb less surface heat while running.How many survival problems are mentioned for desert animals in Paragraph 1 ?
| A．One. |
| B．Two. |
| C．Three. |
| D．Four. |
When can we have the highest chance to see many birds in a desert?
| A．In early afternoon. |
| B．Around midday. |
| C．In early morning. |
| D．In late morning. |
The Roundtailed Ground Squirrel escapes the extreme temperatures by________.
| A．sitting in the shade |
| B．lying in a hole |
| C．stopping its activity |
| D．moving to cool habitats |
According to the passage，which of the following are the most active desert animals?
| A．Lizards. |
| B．Desert Toads. |
| C．Phainopepla. |
| D．Roundtailed Ground Squirrel. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Survival of Desert Animals. |
| B．Evolution of Desert Animals. |
| C．Dangers of Desert Animals. |
| D．Hibernation of Desert Animals. |
阅读理解
When an NBA player is young he thinks he can win the championship by himself.It is only later when he has aged and been through many battles that he learns an important lesson：there_is_no_“I”_in_“team”．
There is no better example of the value of teamwork than the Boston Celtics.Paul Pierce，Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett were all superstars on three different teams.Yet，none of them had any titles to show for it.Then，last season，they decided to sacrifice money and individual statistics to play together.Garnett and Allen joined Pierce on the Celtics and changed the NBA in the process.
It started in simple ways.Garnett and Allen are two of the most intense athletes in the world.They treat every second of every practice like it is the NBA championship.If you want to play alongside them then you will have to do the same.So，the young guys on the Celtics started giving their full effort too.
Pierce had been the star of the Celtics for many years.He used to shoot the ball many times in a game.But with the addition of Allen and Garnett he shot less and focused on defense.
His selflessness showed the young players that doing what made the team better was the only thing that mattered.
When the Celtics were winning and the game was almost over，Garnett，Pierce and Allen would come out of the game.But they wouldn’t just sit on the bench.Instead，they stood and cheered and screamed for their teammates.They wanted to support their friends and teammates.
Now，the guys who don’t play know they can still affect the game by cheering so they scream and cheer when Garnett，Allen and Pierce are playing.The Celtics have developed a strong relationship.They are more than just teammates.They are brothers.
The result: the Boston Celtics won the 2008 NBA championship and are considered the favorites to win the Eastern Conference championship again this year.
There is a saying that goes，“A successful team beats with one heart.”If that is the case，the Celtics may have the biggest heart in the NBA.What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．The stories of three famous basketball superstars. |
| B．The importance of teamwork among teammates. |
| C．A famous basketball team named the Boston Celtics. |
| D．Matches between the Boston Celtics and other teams. |
From the passage，we can see that________.
| A．most mature NBA players believe they can win the championship by themselves |
| B．Pierce，Garnett and Allen had to give up personal glory for team success |
| C．Allen，Pierce，together with Garnett had been the stars of the Celtics for many years |
| D．Paul Pierce，Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett had won NBA championships before they joined hands |
What does the underlined sentence “there is no ‘I’ in ‘team’” mean in Paragraph 1?
| A．“I” will be missing once “I” am on the court. |
| B．“I” work so hard in a team that “I” will forget who “I” am. |
| C．The members of the team are more important than the individual. |
| D．Surrounded by other players，“I” don’t seem to exist. |
Which of the following is NOT true about Pierce’s recent performance?
| A．He became an even better shooter with others’ help. |
| B．He focused much more attention on defense. |
| C．He created more chances for teammates. |
| D．He stood and cheered for his teammates. |
Which of the following didn’t contribute to the success of the Boston Celtics?
| A．The whole team has become devoted to each and every stage of the game. |
| B．The cooperation and teamwork among the teammates in the match. |
| C．The influence of Garnett，Allen，Pierce and other teammates’ cheering. |
| D．The increasing frequency of team players on the bench. |
After the birth of my second child，I got a job at a restaurant.Having worked with an experienced ____ for a few days，I was ____ to wait tables on my own.All went ____ that first week.When Saturday night came，I was luckily ____ the tables not far from the kitchen.____，I still felt it a little hard to carry the heavy trays (托盘)．
Before I knew it，the ____ was full of people.I moved slowly，____ every step.I remember how ____ I was when I saw the tray stand near the tables；it looked different from the one I was ____ on.It had nice handles (手柄)，which made it ____ to move around.I was pleased with everything and began to ____ I was a natural at this job.
Then，an old man came to me and said，“Excuse me，dear，my wife and I loved ____ you work.It seems your tray stand has been very ____ to you，but we are getting ready to ____ now，and my wife needs her ____ back.”
At first his ____ did not get across.“What was he talking about？”Then，I got it.I had set my trays on his wife’s orthopedic walker (助步器)．I stood frozen as ice，but my face was ____.I wanted to get into a hole and ____.
Since then，I have learned from many mistakes such as the one I just ____.I have learned to be more ____ and not to be too sure of myself.
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