A breathtaking trick potentially left over from our ancestors might be found in us — the ability to sense oxygen through our skin.
Amphibians, animals such as frogs that can live both on land and in water, have long been known to be capable of breathing through their skin. In fact, the first known lungless frog that breathes only through its skin was discovered recently in the rivers of Borneo.
Now the same oxygen sensors found in frog skins and in the lungs of mammals (哺乳动物) have unexpectedly been discovered in the skin of mice.
“No one had ever looked,” explained Randall Johnson, a biologist researcher.
Mice and frogs are quite distant relatives, so the fact they have these molecules (分子) in common in their skin suggests they might well be found in the skin of other mammals, such as humans.
“We have no reason to think that they are not in the skin of people too,” Johnson said.
These molecules not only detect oxygen, but help increase levels of vital red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body. Normal mice breathing in air that is 10 percent oxygen—a dangerously low level similar to conditions at the top of Mount Everest, and about half that of air at sea level. However, mice that had the oxygen sensor HIF-1a genetically removed from their skin failed to produce this hormone (荷尔蒙) even after hours of such low oxygen.
These findings, if they hold true in humans, suggest one could raise the level of oxygen circulating inside the body. This could help treat lung diseases and disorders such as anemia (贫血症) without injecting drugs, which make up a multibillion-dollar market, Johnson said.
Athletes also often try to get more oxygen delivered to their muscles in order to improve their performance. They often do this by training at high altitudes or in low-oxygen tents. The new study suggests they might want to expose their skin as well as breathing in low-oxygen air to improve their performance. “It’s hard to say what exactly might be done, however—there’s a lot we don’t know yet,” Johnson explained.
The scientists detailed their findings in the April 18 issue of the journal Cell.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．It has long been expected oxygen sensors exist in mice’s skin. |
| B．People have to surf the Internet to read detailed findings. |
| C．It has been proved that these findings help treat lung diseases. |
| D．Johnson believes that Oxygen sensors also exist in human skin. |
One of the functions of the molecules mentioned above is _______.
| A． increasing level of oxygen | B．improving athletes’ performance |
| C．detecting oxygen | D．carrying oxygen around the body |
What is Johnson’s attitude to the application of the findings to the athletes’ training?
| A． Hesitating | B．Doubting | C．Positive | D．Negative |
The best title of the passage may be _______.
| A． Humans Might Sense Oxygen Through Skin |
| B．Frogs And Mice Are Distant Relatives |
| C．First Known Animal Breathes Through Skin |
| D．Great Findings Benefits Athletes A Lot |
请认真阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Dear Editor,
My family of four had a baggage allowance of two bags per person, but while collectively our weight allowance was under the limit, the airline wanted to charge us per person. Is this fair?
—Bob
A: Baggage allowances are a constant source of frustration for travelers, and none more so than the division of baggage allowances for a family. There was a time when a friendly smile and a knowing look might have saved you from a penalty, but not now when there’s little wriggle room given to the desk staff. Airline travel has gone budget almost right across the board, so if you want ease of passage, you have to pay for it and you have to plan in advance. You need to weigh your luggage before the flight and, if you’re with your family, you have learn to share that weight around before you get to the airport. Sad but true.
Dear Editor,
I put some of my finest smalls into a hotel laundry and they’ve come back shrunk and the wrong colour. The Austrian hotel told me that they were laundered by an outside company and it was at my own risk. What can I do?
—Bob
A: As a rule, one should be cautious about putting good quality clothes into a hotel laundry, unless it has a good reputation or you’ve had previous experiences there. As a guest, you may have signed a wavier(弃权声明书), but even if you did you still can chase it up with the hotel management or its international head office, if it’s part of a chain. There’s also a facility to chase up consumer concerns across the European Union even when you get home. You should contact the UK European Consumer Centre and they’ll help you fight your case, so don’t despair. But remember to be very careful with your smalls next time—perhaps you should take a good supply to avoid potential laundry damage.
What does the editor think of Bob’s problem?
| A．It’s serious. | B．It’s complex. |
| C．It’s frustrating. | D．It’s pretty rare. |
The editor seems to suggest Helen.
| A．bear the consequence herself |
| B．have a talk with the hotel staff again |
| C．ask the outside company to pay for her loss |
| D．turn to the UK European Consumer Centre for help |
Both the two letter’s writers.
| A．met problems when traveling by plane |
| B．had trouble with their consumer rights |
| C．decided to accept the editor’s advice |
| D．failed to enjoy their journey |
D
In recent years, our parenting culture began to send the message that competence（能力） was important for building self-confidence. However, that same parenting culture made a big mistake by telling parents they should tell their children how competent they were. Children can't be convinced that they are competent. Only your children can build their sense of competence.
However, you can do several things to encourage them to develop their own competence. First, you can give them opportunities to gain a sense of competence. You should allow your children to “get their hands dirty” in the daily life and find out what they are capable of.
These daily experiences allow your children to develop specific competencies that will be helpful to them as they grow up. Also, the more individual competencies children develop, the more they will view themselves as globally competent people.
Second, you can be sure that they gain the most value from their experiences. You can direct their focus to the competences that enabled those successes rather than some generic（笼统的） praise of the accomplishment itself. And you can also praise their accomplishments.
A great difficulty for parents is allowing their children to be wrong or do something poorly in the mistaken belief that these experiences will hurt their sense of competence. In fact, whether they do it well isn't important because success isn't really the goal. Instead, the goal is their willingness to keep trying.
Another mistake that parents make is that, after being unsuccessful when their children first try something, they try to correct them so they will succeed the next time they try. That's not to say that you can't lend a hand when they are struggling. But let them take the lead; if they really want your help, they'll ask for it.The passage is mainly about_____.
| A．the arts to praise children |
| B．the ways to help children develop ability |
| C．the ways to evaluate children’s ability |
| D．the proper ways to help children deal with failure |
What should parents say to help children gain value from their experiences?
| A．Well done! |
| B．You are the best! |
| C．You are really careful! |
| D．You’d better do as I do. |
Parents often make a mistake by ______.
| A．getting their children’s hands dirty |
| B．not realizing the harmful effect of failure |
| C．putting themselves into children’s shoes |
| D．telling their children how competent they are |
How did the writer develop the passage?
| A．By asking and answering questions. |
| B．By introducing different opinions. |
| C．By listing examples. |
| D．By giving explanations. |
In which section of a newspaper can you find this passage?
| A． Education | B．Health and Fitness |
| C．Home and Garden | D．Careers |
C
Conservationists have made plans to preserve and protect the world's most important species of coral, in a response to increasing threats that they say will lead to "functional extinction" within decades．
Led by scientists at the Zoological Society of London, the Edge Coral Reefs project has identified 10 coral species in most urgent risk of becoming extinct．The scientists say that reefs are under pressure from a variety of threats including rising sea temperatures due to climatic instability, increased acidity（酸性）, overfishing and pollution．
The Edge plan, which focuses on the most evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered species , will take a regional approach to conservation．This means focusing on the "coral triangle" around the Philippines, the West Indian Ocean around the Mozambique channel, and in the Caribbean channel．
"Coral reefs are threatened with functional extinction in the next 20-50 years, due predominantly to global climatic instability," said Catherine Head, coordinator of the reefs project．"In these regions, we'll be supporting and training in-country conservationists to carry out research and implement targeted conservation actions," she said．"Their projects will last for two years．We provide them with a whole host of tools to carry out their projects including funding and intensive training．" She added．
Coral reefs are the planet's most diverse marine ecosystem, known as the rainforests of the oceans．Despite taking up under 0．2% of the ocean floor, they provide food and shelter for almost a third of all sea life．If we lose the ecosystems, we lose not only the biodiversity, but we also lose the capability of people to obtain income and food from coral reefs．
Climatic instability, which leads to rising sea temperatures, causes corals to bleach(漂白)．Bleaching occurs when sea temperatures rise and this causes the coral tissue to expel their symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae - these are what give the coral their color．Bleached corals often die if the stress continues．Among the 10 species chosen to start the Edge project are the pearl bubble coral, a food source for the hawksbill turtle, and the Mushroom coral, which supports at least 15 brightly colored fish．What have conservationists done to react to the increasing threats to corals?
| A．They have taken measures to preserve and protect corals. |
| B．They are doing research into sea life. |
| C．They have identified some endangered corals worldwide. |
| D．They have prevented people from going to some areas. |
Which is NOT the reason for the extinction of corals?
| A．Rising sea temperature． | B．Human exploration． |
| C．Pollution． | D．Overfishing． |
According to the passage, coral reefs________.
| A．are known as the rainforests on the earth． |
| B．are threatened with functional extinction in the following 10 years． |
| C．takes up 2% of the ocean floor． |
| D．are the planet's most diverse marine ecosystem． |
The coral extinction will ________.
| A．help to keep the balance of the marine ecosystems |
| B．have no effect on the human life |
| C．cause the loss of one third of the marine life |
| D．destroy the rainforests on our earth． |
What does the writer mainly talk about in the passage?[
| A．Climatic instability and coral extinction． |
| B．A plan to protect coral from extinction． |
| C．Reasons for coral functional extinction． |
| D．A research about endangered coral reefs． |
B
People are being lured onto Facebook with the promise of a fun, free service without realizing they’re paying for it by giving up large amounts of personal information. Facebook then attempts to make money by selling their data to advertisers that want to send targeted messages.
Most Facebook users don’t realize this is happening. Even if they know what the company is up to, they still have no idea what they’re paying for Facebook because people don’t really know what their personal data is worth.
The biggest problem, however, is that the company keeps changing the rules. Early on, you keep everything private. That was the great thing about Facebook — you could create your own little private network. Last year, the company changed its privacy rules so that many things — your city, your photo, your friends' names—were set, by default (默认) to be shared with everyone on the Internet.
According to Facebook’s vice-president Elliot Schrage, the company is simply making changes to improve its service, and if people don’t share information, they have a “less satisfying experience”.
Some critics think this is more about Facebook looking to make more money. Its original business model, which involved selling ads and putting them at the side of the page, totally failed. Who wants to look at ads when they’re online connecting with their friends?
The privacy issue has already landed Facebook in hot water in Washington. In April, Senator Charles Schumer called on Facebook to change its privacy policy. He also urged the Federal Trade Commission to set guidelines for social-networking sites. “I think the senator rightly communicated that we had not been clear about what the new products were and how people could choose to use them or not to use them,” Schrage admits.
I suspect that whatever Facebook has done so far to invade our privacy is only the beginning, which is why I’m considering deactivating(撤销) my account. Facebook is a handy site, but I’m upset by the idea that my information is in the hands of people I don’t know. That’s too high a price to pay.What does the writer want to tell us in the passage?
| A．Mor1e people are being attracted to use Facebook. |
| B．People shouldn’t use Facebook. |
| C．Facebook is invading people’s privacy. |
| D．Facebook is selling more ads |
Why does the author plan to cancel his Facebook account?
| A．He is dissatisfied with its current service. |
| B．He doesn’t want his personal information abused. |
| C．He finds many of its users untrustworthy. |
| D．He is upset by its frequent rule changes. |
What is Charles Schumer’s attitude toward Facebook selling users’ data?
| A．Indifferent. | B．Unclear. |
| C．Supportive. | D．Disapproval. |
According to Elliot Schrage, Facebook keeps changing its rules because _______.
| A．it wants to better its service |
| B．it wants to adjust to new surroundings |
| C．it wants to expand its global business |
| D．it wants to improve its connectivity |
We can infer from the passage that ___________.
| A．Facebook makes profits by selling its users’ personal data. |
| B．Facebook often provides misleading information to its users. |
| C．Facebook protects users’ privacy |
| D．Facebook makes money only by advertising. |
A
Mona Lisa, the mysterious woman in Leonardo da Vinci’s 16th century masterpiece, had just given birth to her second son when she sat for the painting, a French art expert said.
The discovery was made by a team of Canadian scientists who used special infrared and three-dimensional technology to look through paint layers on the work, which now sits in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
Bruno Mottin of the French Museums’ Center for Research and Restoration said that on very close examination of the painting, it became clear that Mona Lisa’s dress was covered in a thin transparent gauze dress.
“This type of gauze dress was typical of the kind worn in the early 16th century in Italy by women who were pregnant or who had just given birth. This is something that has never been seen up to now because the painting was always judged to be dark and difficult to examine,” he told a news conference. “We can now say that this painting by Leonardo da Vinci was painted to commemorate the birth of the second son of Mona Lisa, which helps us to date it more precisely to around 1503. The young woman with the half smile has been identified as Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Florentine merchant Francesco de Giocondo. She had five children.”
Mottin also said that, contrary to popular belief, the subject had not let her hair hang freely, but in fact she had worn a bonnet from which only a few curls had managed to escape.
"People always wrote that the Mona Lisa had allowed her hair to hang freely over her shoulders. This greatly surprised historians because letting your hair hang freely during the Renaissance was typical of young girls and women of poor virtue," he said.
The team had hoped to discover more details about Leonardo's "sfumato " technique of subtly blending one tone into another, which the artist used to create a special effect. But scientist John Taylor said the team had been frustrated by the lack of brush stroke detail on the painting.This passage mainly discusses___________..
| A．a new discovery about Leonardo da Vinci |
| B．a new discovery of Mona Lisa |
| C．the way Leonardo da Vinci painted Mona Lisa |
| D．the relationship between Mona Lisa and Leonardo da Vinci |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Mona Lisa was in fact the wife of Lisa Gherardini. |
| B．The painting is in French now. |
| C．Mona Lisa lived in the 1500s in Canada. |
| D．Leonardo da Vinci painted the masterpiece in memory of the birth of his second son. |
What did people think of the hair of Mona Lisa?
| A．People thought her hair was in fashion. |
| B．People thought she had her hair curled. |
| C．People thought she had let her hair hang freely over her shoulders. |
| D．People thought she wore fake hair. |
Why didn’t people find Mona Lisa’s dress was covered in a thin transparent gauze dress at first ?
| A．Because they didn’t look carefully. |
| B．Because the painting was in bad condition. |
| C．Because Leonardo da Vinci fooled people. |
| D．Because the color of the painting was dark. |
From the last two paragraphs we can know the scientists felt a little_________.
| A．discouraged | B．satisfied |
| C．hopeful | D．surprised |